Silverlite
by LightRedemption
Summary: Four years after team Galactic's defeat, Sinnoh welcomes a new champion. Whatever happened to the old ones?
1. Chapter 1

_**Timeline: 4 years after the end of Pok****ém****on Platinum (game).**_

_**This is the story I promised at the end of 'Something to this day'.**_

* * *

Chapter 1: Velveteen

"We are here today to congratulate Barry, for becoming the Sinnoh Pokémon champion after an intense series against the Elite Four's finest. Barry, how are you feeling right now?"

"It's the most amazing feeling in the world! I've trained so very long and hard for this, and it's great to be rewarded."

"Would you like to express your thanks to anyone?"

"Absolutely! Professor Rowan first, since he's the one who gave me my first Pokémon and set me on this path. My mother, for always being there to take care of me since I was young. And finally, my father, for being such an inspiration to me! Look out, dad, I'm coming to challenge you next!"

"Straight from the new champion himself. He's remarkably young, only 16 years old and has stepped to the top of the ladder in the rankings. What more can we expect from Barry in the future?"

The programme was shut off.

The floor creaks slightly. The entire house's interior was wood – walls, ceiling, floor. It was remarkably modest, but homey and warm. Inside, sat two women over the living room table.

"He's grown so much." Said the one in the apron. She's quite a bit older than the other, donning housewife attire, with red slippers, white blouse and sweatpants in all. Her hair was a hue of slate blue, curled up in a circular orb, perhaps a bit too extravagant for her size. "I remember when he was still around, always running into everyone. Now he's a champion, who could have thought?"

"He's made impressive progress, yes." The other woman was the one who turned off the TV. She was far more focused on the coffee cup and the book in her hand than whatever the news has to offer. "But at what cost?"

"Cynthia, you're starting to sound ominous again!"

"I didn't mean to." Cynthia continued to drink. She used to be a Sinnoh champion herself, and still was the longest running one. She has long retired, however, dedicating herself to research and other past times. "Perhaps I'm giving the boy too little credit. He's young, and changes happen fast."

"You don't sound very supportive."

"That's because I'm not, Johanna." Cynthia was still staring at the book, albeit with less focus. It served more as a distraction from the incessant conversation than actual academic reasoning. "The Tatsuhisa boy may be dedicated and passionate, but that alone means nothing."

"You're impossible sometimes, you know that?" Johanna let out a quick sigh. It was nothing new, of course. The two of them met each other at a Pokémon contest in Hearthome a year back, and quickly befriended each other. Since then, Cynthia had been showing up at her house every other morning for coffee, without fail. "I know you still hold exceptionally high standards for competitive battling, but your time has already gone now."

"I know…" Cynthia had no rebuttal. Instead, she closed the book, and began fixing her hair. Blond and lengthy, its front draped over her shoulders, sometimes getting in the way of proper movement. She wears a couple of specialised bands on the side of her hair, shaped like pears, to counteract this, but sometimes it still got in the way. Inadvertently, her eyes wander to the stairs leading up.

"Dawn's still not back yet." Another sigh from Johanna. "This is becoming too frequent. I don't know what to do with that girl anymore."

"She's 16. I'm sure teenage girls do these things." Despite what she said, Cynthia did not sound convinced. "Best to keep a loose eye on her, I'd say."

"She won't listen to her mother." Johanna poured exhaustion into her words. "Maybe you could talk some senses into her. You're closer to her age."

"Do you even know where she is?" Cynthia was aware that she and Johanna's daughter were twelve years apart, but it was still considerably less of a generation gap.

"Floaroma Town, probably. I used to take her there as a kid sometimes. The flowers always used to sooth her."

Cynthia only nodded in acknowledgement.

…

The meadow was flourishing during this time of year. It enveloped all within its fragrant folds. Transcendent was the sprouting of the seasons. The seemingly chaotic growth pattern of the flowers collided with each other in the most natural way, creating a whirlpool of colours that intertwined with the botanical essence. Here, lilies and lotuses bloomed, casting a shade of violet and sienna upon the pathway that hugged the natural elevation. Running across the earth was a serene, ever stretching river line that cut through the north of the meadow. Along its moderate banks, rested the exuberant orchards, peeled away by the shifting breath of wind.

Alone in the middle, stood a girl, leaning on the fence, overlooking the beauty of it all.

A sad girl.

Her hair was slate blue, just like her mother, but far longer, reaching all the way down her back. I used to be much more of a problem when her closet contained nothing but shirts and mini-skirts, but it had been a long time since then. Now, she far more enjoyed the roll-ups and the jackets, as it made the travels far more bearable.

"The leaves will be falling soon."

She twitched at the sound. It was a voice she didn't expect, yet infinitely familiar. Turning around, she observed Cynthia walking towards her, but the woman's eyes were following the river.

"What are you doing here?" Eyebrows were raised.

"No need to be so hostile." Cynthia approached the fences, back leaning against it. "Your mother told me to talk to you."

"She should stop trying to interfere with so many things." Dawn lightly huffed. The two of them were not seeing eye-to-eye. One's gaze was to the trees, the other's was to the river. "You too, Cynthia."

"I know you've been avoiding me." Dawn took a slight peak as a reaction. Cynthia was the same as she remembered: tall, stern, and always with such an overbearing aura. It reminded her of her younger days, something she had been trying to forget. "I frequent Johanna's so often, and you don't even travel much anymore, yet I barely catch a glimpse of you. Lately, you've actively been out overnight."

"So what if I have?" The girl crossed her arms, back to her conversation partner – her best effort to hide her expression. "You came for my mother, right? Why drag me into it?"

Cynthia didn't answer. It forced Dawn to turn around, ever so slightly, to satisfy her curiosity. What she saw was a faint string of tears, half-hidden behind those flowing golden strands of hair. It was a rarely seen vulnerable moment of Cynthia that most weren't aware of. The mood became sullen, and neither spoke another word.

_Piripiri_

The silence was broken by Dawn's Togekiss returning from its nap atop the cover of trees. It recognised Cynthia, and instead of returning to its owner, snuggled up to the blond woman instead. Cynthia smiled briefly at it.

"Dawn, look…" She patted the Pokémon on its round head. It purred in satisfaction, while lightly flapping its wings. "I know you blame me for a lot of things, and you're not necessarily wrong to, but this can't go on forever."

"Why?" Dawn finally turned around fully, as their eyes met for the first time. The atmosphere was full of fire. "It doesn't matter to you."

"That's not true."

"Look at Barry! He's the league champion now, you know that?" Cynthia was forced to nod in confirmation. "He used to call me his best friend, someone who pushed him to work his hardest, so that he could finally achieve something. Now that he did, not a single word about me. Professor Rowan was just the same. I spent two years on his stupid Pokedex, all of my efforts, and all he could offer back was a thank you, before he left for a new region."

"Dawn…" Cynthia was sure of where this was going.

"And you…" Dawn had her face in her hands, trying to fight back the urge to weep. "You were the worst of them all."

The Togekiss, sensing the emotional outburst of her owner, flew back to Dawn. Its smile wasn't successful in cheering up the girl, however. It had no other choice but to look to Cynthia, hoping that the woman would be able to do something.

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing she could say. She had said it many times before, but the reaction was never any different.

"It's far too late." Dawn collapse on to the wooden bench, crying. "How could you expect me to bring myself to trust you anymore?"

"I can't."

This wasn't the first such a situation had occurred, but neither of them had managed to find a solution. It has been years, and every time they met was only a tragic recollection of the fallout that happened between them.

Cynthia surrendered her position, and simply walked away. Her steps were slow and inconsistent. Regardless, that didn't change the fact that she was leaving. She wanted to, but couldn't afford to look back. Things couldn't be allowed to continue on like this, and she was the only one who could fix it.

Still, Dawn was soon left alone again, amongst the flowers.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Expect nothing.**_

_**I certainly don't.**_

* * *

Chapter 2: Denim

"Dawn!"

She groaned in defiance.

"I don't know what's the matter with you, but you still have to eat!"

She wanted to scream at her mother, to claim she wasn't hungry. However, that couldn't have been further from the truth. Dawn pulled herself out of bed. It was eight in the evening, and she had no idea what day it was.

"Ok, I'll be right down." It wasn't the time to be difficult.

She greeted her mother with a sullen expression and a weak wave. Not saying a single word, she settled onto the dining room table.

Johanna elected to stay quiet, deciding to be content with the fact. She got on with serving the food, and observed her daughter closely. Dawn simply trudged through eating, though she didn't do it quickly.

As she finished, she found her mother blocking the stairs. Johanna had a concerned look on her face, and a letter in her hand.

"This is for you." Dawn received the envelope. It didn't say who it was from. "Honey, what's been going on?"

"I'm sorry, mom." She embraced her mother in an attempt of reconciliation. "Something like this I have to figure out for myself."

"You know I'll always be here if you need me."

"I do." Lips halfway up, eyebrows declined, Dawn gave the most assuring smile she could muster. Her mother did not look any less concerned, but also offered a smile in return. "Thanks mom."

The girl disappeared into her room once again, doors locked. She held the letter, fingers running across the edge. It took her five minutes to get around to opening it, once she settled comfortably on the bed.

"Dear Dawn,

I gave Johanna this letter because I could never tell you something like this without me becoming a giant mess.

You're sixteen now, yet I feel like you haven't grown as much in the last four years as you did when you were twelve. You've simply refused to.

I know that it's all my fault, and I'm in no position to tell you what to do, but I cannot let this continue. I understand that I will never be able to fix what happened between us, so here's my proposal to you.

I promise you that I will never bother you again. I shall remove myself from Johanna's circle if you want me to.

All I wish of you is for you to be on the road again. I've attached a formal invitation to the Sinnoh League. This is me making a decision for you without your consent, and I apologise, but this was the only option I have left.

The next instalment of the league will start in three months. I will return. Find me then, and tell me how you feel.

Love,

Cynthia."

Dawn read it all the way through. She then read it a second time, before ripping the paper into many small pieces. She proceeded to clutch the shreds in her hand, and wept for the next hour.

On the side of the bed, from inside the poke ball, her togekiss could do nothing but watch.

…

Next morning, Dawn wasted no time getting out of bed. She parked herself in the living room, waiting for her mother to awake.

"Dawn?" Johanna eventually did. "What are you doing down here so early?"

"Mom, is Cynthia going to come today?" Dawn held a stern voice, not wanting to give anything away.

"She told me she was going to get busier. I don't think she's going to be able to come around anymore."

Dawn only nodded, not saying another word. She buried herself in thoughts, while her mother was busy with breakfast. She reached for the league invitation in her pocket, something very few people even knew existed.

"Mom."

"Yes, dear?" Johanna put down a stack of pancakes.

"I'm thinking of going back to being a pokemon trainer again." That came out a lot harder than Dawn had expected. Something within her was reacting negatively to that claim.

"Oh." Her mother sat down next to her, eyes wide. "What brought this on?"

"I haven't been doing anything for a long time." Johanna did not appear too receptive. "Mom?"

"Honey." She took her daughter in an embrace. "Five years ago, when you asked me to let you roam the world, I said yes out of sheer excitement. I regretted that decision so very much."

"You did?"

"I was so scared, and lonely the first few days you weren't here. So I came to Hearthome just so I could see you again." She planted a kiss on Dawn's forehead. "When we finally met again, you have become a totally different girl. You've grown so much just from a month of leaving home."

"Mom…"

"That was when I realised you don't need me anymore, and I just left." The embrace was even tighter. "For the last four years, I've always known that you'd leave again eventually, maybe for good this time.

Dawn didn't have a reply to that. She could only buried herself in her mother's chest and cry. It was not until Johanna let go that Dawn was able to recollect herself, still sniffing.

"I just want to make you proud, mom."

"I know honey." Johanna patted her daughter on the back, urging her to finish her breakfast. "What do you plan to do?"

"League won't start until June." Dawn was now full of energy, barely gasping between mouthfuls of food to talk. "I need my whole team back."

"Are you staying for lunch?"

Dawn looked at her mother, then at the pancakes.

"Yes please."

"How about dinner?"

Dawn gulped down her food.

"Mom! You can't bribe me to stay like this!"

"I know, honey." Johanna lightly poked her daughter's now puffed cheeks. "Can't blame me for trying."

Dawn didn't leave until the next morning.

…

"Good luck, honey!" Johanna sent her daughter off teary-eyed. "Be safe."

"I know, mom."

Dawn turned away, but decided to run back and give her mother another hug before leaving.

The only pokemon she currently had on hand was her togekiss. It was no slouch in combat, but it didn't know Fly. It meant she was walking. It was fine. Her first destination wasn't that far away.

Getting to Sandgem town was a matter of carefully manoeuvring around bushes, scattered trainer and just the random annoying people. It had gotten less frequent over the years, but Dawn never enjoyed people recognising her. It made life difficult most of the time. Often, she wondered how those truly famous would be able to keep up with this all the time.

Before she knew it, Dawn stood in front a familiar establishment. Closed blinds, metallic doorway, blue roof, all signs of a truly tasteless designer. Regardless, it didn't need to look nice. It just needed to be functional at housing what's inside.

She rang the doorbell.

"Yes?" The door took some time to open. "Who is it?"

Standing in front of her was a boy her age. His white lab coat and black trousers did their job complementing his sharp, well-defined features. He still wore his trademark red beret, however, a hallmark of the time once passed.

"Lucas."

"Dawn?" He fumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"You have something of mine, Lucas." Dawn held the closing door open. "I want it back."

"What? Oh!" He momentarily fell into a daze. "Of course, come in."

The door was closed behind them. The lab was a lot different than Dawn remembered. Instead of bookcases and shelves, row after row of tubes and complex machinery made up the majority of the interior. She could still spot the living quarter slightly off to the side, but it was barely visible.

"You've been busy."

Running her hand through one of the pokemon transfer machines, Dawn noticed how it was still hot. She had never been interested in things like these, but a reminder certainly made her feel nostalgic. In the corner sat a small wooden table, seemingly out of use. She recognised it immediately as the place where her pokedex used to be, before professor Rowan gave it to her.

"Of course!" She didn't see it, be she could've sworn Lucas pumped his chest. "I'm trying my best to turn this place into one of the top research labs in Sinnoh."

"I see." She would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little impressed with his conviction. "You haven't changed one bit."

"You have, though." Dawn avoided his gaze. "I don't even remember the last time we talked."

"You know fully well why."

"I do." She didn't expect him to agree so wholeheartedly. "I do."

"You don't sound pleased." Dawn took a seat, waiting for Lucas to finish rummaging through the drawers. "What happened between you two?"

"His paper didn't turn out well." He had nothing but sighs to offer. "He says it's my fault."

"Is it?"

"I'd like to think it wasn't."

Lucas found the pokeball he was looking for. Going over to Dawn, he didn't hand it to her right away. The hesitation was wearing her patience thin.

"Do you want to say something?"

"Do you think it's really my fault?"

Dawn stared at him in brief disbelief, then gently patted him on the arm

"Lucas, if I really thought you were dumb, I wouldn't have given Pipi to you."

He didn't answer, only smile in response. It was time for him to give Dawn what she sought. In his hand held a poke ball, striped and platinum in design, sparkling with orange contrast.

"Good luck."

She nodded, and pressed the button in front of the ball. From the subsequent flash of light came a pokemon: poultry form, upstanding, short-legged and wings of steel. Its dark hue was enclosed with blue, metallic joint, showing off a majestic demeanour, standing as tall as Lucas.

The empoleon yawned, and stared vainly at its former owner. Dawn stared back at it.

It wasn't long before it walked, feet short, close and awkward, into her open embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter names are given at irregular intervals and sense.**_

* * *

Chapter 3: Dupioni

"I've missed you, Pipi." The bird flapped its razor wings in delight. "Careful there, else you're gonna cut me."

"Your pokemons are such mysteries." Lucas gave it a light rub on the back of the neck. "You just left it alone for four years and yet there's no resentment."

"It sounds pretty terrible once you put it like that. I'll be honest with you though: not all of them are going to be like this. Pipi knows I love him though."

"Are you going to tell me why you're taking him back?"

Dawn gave it a thought. She knew perfectly well the answer to that question, but it didn't mean that Lucas should. She looked back at the boy. He was older, taller, and perhaps possibly more mature. However, how much did something like that truly matter? Would it even affect his life in any way?

"I may, if you agree to do something for me in return." He cautiously nodded. "I want you to deliver to Rowan a message."

"I think you're overestimating me, Dawn." Lucas fumbled about, having just been asked something possibly impossible. "I'm not his assistant anymore. I haven't been for a long time. What makes you think I can do something like that?"

She didn't respond. There was no need to explain her position any further. If Lucas was going to get anything out of her, he'd have to earn it first. The days of her running around doing favours for other people at the drop of a hat had long passed.

Lucas sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this fight.

"Alright, I'll try."

"Thank you." Dawn reached for her phone, flipping it open in front of him. "Can I borrow yours?"

Lucas did not protest, but his reserve could be seen through his actions. Dawn simply entered his number into her phone, but not vice versa. Throwing it back, she put Pipi back into the pokeball, preparing to leave.

"When will I hear from you again?"

"Three months at the latest."

He didn't say it, but he knew what she was referring to. He was there when she stopped being a trainer, adamantly trying to convince her otherwise. She never admitted it, but to this day she still regretted not listening to him. With that in mind, Dawn gave him a pat on the back.

"Good luck out there," he said.

"I'll need it."

Lucas followed her outside, wearing sentiments on his sleeves. Dawn noticed it, but elected not to say anything. He had always been a good friend, but that was it.

With Lucas finally closing the lab's door after him, Dawn called out her togekiss. She didn't want to use it to fly to Sandgem, believing that the walk would do her good, but her next destination was not something so easily reachable.

"Come on, Toto." Climbing onto the pokemon's broad back, she gave it a light rub and a tap on the hand, firmly positioning herself in between its wing span. The togekiss let out a satisfying cry, before taking off into the breezy spring air. Dawn noticed how things weren't as cold as they used to be, that or she just hadn't been in the air in a while.

First thing she saw was the skyscrapers of Jubilife City. They used to look so much more majestic when she was younger, now they were all grey and dusty, just like the town. Once the single largest and most modernised city of the entire region, has since fallen into complacency and disrepair, existing as nothing more than a glorified school district. Dawn never really paid attention to how this transition occurred, but it personally did not bring out any interest from her.

Skirting above the tree line, her path brought her straight atop a mountain edge. The layers of larger, more vibrant canopy trees could be observed stretching around the Floaroma Meadow. On the right, a three-story iron refinery sat, solemnly emitting smoke from the pipeline. The place had always been notoriously out of the way, causing its owner to have significant troubles making supply trips. Perhaps, she thought, there would be an appropriate time to pay him a visit soon.

She arrived at the middle of road 205 just as the sun was setting. Stashing her togekiss by the belt, Dawn wondered whether or not this was a good to time for her to go into the Eterna Forest. She needed to enter eventually, but the place had never been too easy on her. She got lost in there a couple of times, and the dawning darkness wasn't going to make things any easier for her. It was time to ask for help.

To the left clearing in front the forest entrance, a pint-sized wooden shack marked its territory with an array of floral beds and freshly planted berry trees. The windows were all closed, most likely to block out all the bug pokemons. As it stood, the entire area housed a large number of species, most of them terribly unpleasant to be around.

Dawn knocked on the door. No one answered at first, but she could hear movements ruffling inside the establishment. Someone unlocked the door soon after, though it seemed to be a lot more struggling involved. Eventually, she was greeted with a familiar face. In front of her stood a young woman, no more than twenty years of age. Her hair ran deep emerald, the front parted in the middle like a summer leaf, and the back tied up to flowing knots. She wore a dress skirt of the same colour, albeit slightly lighter shade. It was remarkable how green it made her appearance.

"Dawn!" She soon found herself locked in an enthusiastic embrace. "It's been such a long time!"

"It has, Cheryl. How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been just fine!" The woman pulled Dawn into the cabin. "Can't say the same for my business though."

Dawn didn't want to say it, but she could tell. Inside the shack was nothing more than very simple ornaments and basic living furniture. The house seemed even smaller than it was on the inside, as random hunting equipment laid bare on the ground, practically reducing the living space to half. Both of them sat down on the old sofa. Dawn swore she could see the sweets stain at the back corner from her last visit.

"Have you ever thought of doing something other than hunting?" Cheryl could tell how Dawn was trying her best not to sound imposing.

"It's the only thing I've ever been taught to do." To Dawn, that didn't sound very confident. "I'm just not very good at it."

"What about those flower beds outside? They're pretty. You could sell them."

Cheryl pondered it for a moment.

"Let us drop this for now." There was no argument. "What brings you here?"

"I need to get to the Old Chateau."

"Did you leave something there the last time you came?"

"Yeah."

Cheryl was clearly concerned. She would be happy to help otherwise, but right then wasn't the best of times. Her living conditions didn't leave many options to just casually take time away from work, and the imminent blackening sky didn't fill her with promise either.

"Does it have to be right now?"

"Not really," Dawn said. "Though I don't have anywhere to stay for the night."

"You can stay here if you'd like." Cheryl was practically beaming with anticipation. It didn't seem like she had too many visitors. "You're always welcome."

"I don't think I can fit on the bed with you anymore though." Dawn chuckled. "I'm a lot bigger than I used to be."

The prospect of the living arrangements being far below her usual standards did cross her mind, but she brushed it off right away. If she could deal with it as an inexperienced trainer just sprung onto the world, of course she could deal with it now that she had grown up.

"I can take the couch."

Dawn wanted to protest, but judging by their current situation, that wasn't such a crazy idea. She had quite a bit of a growth spurt during the last few years, and Cheryl was never a particularly big woman to begin with. If nothing else, they may actually be able to squeeze onto the same bed if both tried hard enough.

"Ok, I'll stay over for the night."

"Great, let me make some dinner."

Rubbing her hands together and pulling up her sleeves, Cheryl reached for the apron hanging lonely by the side of the kitchen top. It seemed she was already in the middle of preparing food before Dawn arrived, and jumped right back into it.

The teenage girl, on the other hand, snugged down onto the sofa. It didn't have too many memories trapped inside, but she did miss it. The first time she found out about this place was after getting lost in Eterna Forest, and brought here to rest up. Dawn didn't possess a lot of physical fortitude back then, something only naturally accumulated over time, but she was definitely pushing herself too far with that trip. Thankfully Cheryl was there to help, having recognised Dawn from their run-in with team Galactic some months before. At the time of her full recovery, it had already been five straight days of Cheryl nursing her back to health.

"What cha' thinking about?" Cheryl asked.

"Just reminiscing,"

They had a lot of time to catch up over dinner. It had been two years since Dawn's last visit, and she found out how Cheryl had grown accustomed to guiding lost trainers through the forest. It had become almost a daily job to her. Dawn shared how much time she had been spending on self-reflection, and how she planned to move her life forward. It was a night of unexpected joy, and a rare occurrence in this lodging, for tomorrow had yet come.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Why is 'boned chicken' used to describe chicken with no bones? Shouldn't that be 'deboned chicken'?**_

* * *

Chapter 4: Gazaar

She wriggled deeper into the mattress. It wasn't the softest, nor the homiest, but it was preferable to the alternative. Still, she had the distinct feeling she wasn't alone.

"Dawn."

She heard someone calling her name. It was sensual, loving and utmost tender. It was a voice she hadn't heard for such a long time, but so familiar in her dreamscape.

"Dawn."

A tall, vague figure approached, and overwhelmed her.

"Dawn!"

Her body shot up, sweats running down her cheeks. Within the next second, the heat in close proximity reminded her she was indeed not alone.

"Dawn, are you alright?"

Dawn turned to Cheryl, whose face was of sheer shock and horror. Dawn herself was trying her best to calm down, albeit to limited effect.

"Sorry," she exhaled. "I'm ok."

"Are you sure?"

It was painfully obvious Dawn wasn't fine, but what else could she say? No one else could help her with the ghosts of the past, and insurance certainly didn't cover haunting. Thus, she elected to stay silent, but managed a smile to cool the situation down somewhat. Cheryl held her by the back, afraid to let go in fear of physical collapse.

Dawn peered through the shoddy, dust-covered window. The sun was just rising outside, light patches barely reaching into the sleeping chambers. She knew she couldn't have slept for long, but there was no chance anyone could go back to sleep after this.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." She sat up, back straight yet heavy. "Even though I already kept you up so late last night to listen to me."

"Don't worry about something so silly." At least it put a smile on their faces. "I'd rather have you around. Day after day doing the same work tends to get boring."

"Have you ever thought about moving, Cheryl?" Dawn gave a concerned look, but she didn't have much faith in it changing minds. "You're alone here, and I don't think you like it."

"I don't." Cheryl held the girl by the hand, and sighed. "But I can't leave either."

"You still won't tell me why?"

"I'm sorry."

Dawn didn't have the heart to press harder.

Cheryl got out of the bed and headed for the stove. Dawn was putting on her clothes, only to realise an anomaly she never noticed before.

"Do you have a shower here?"

"I don't." That would explain why she only ever wore the same set of clothes. "I do take baths though, don't fret!"

"You smell fine." Dawn came closer, and drew in a hint of the woman's scent. Cheryl blushed slightly. "How do you do that?"

"I go to Floaroma from time to time."

"How come I never meet you there?"

"I only go there at night, after I'm done with work."

Dawn didn't say anything else. She felt unappreciative of the things that people like Cheryl did. It all was sinking in quite gradually, but she figured it was best of her to stay quiet for a bit. She needed a bath as well, but that could wait.

Cheryl, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. She carried right ahead with her plans of making breakfast, while her guest sulked in the corner of the sofa. She paid little mind, and put the effort and focus into a simplistic, yet quality dish. Breakfast was served with eggs, bread, and a smile. It wasn't much still, and it certainly did not take long for them to finish the meal.

"Are you ready to leave?" Cheryl, having finished cleaning up the dishes, was full of energy, despite being waken up earlier than usual. "If we get there fast it, we may be able to get back before dusk."

"Ok," Dawn said.

It was simply a matter of locking the door to prepare for the trip. Neither of them were particularly keen on bringing much of anything, so the packing was fairly tame. That said, Dawn did hung around the floral bed a bit, eyes running across to look for her favourite flower.

"I'm so glad you like them." Said Cheryl.

"They're very pretty." Dawn picked out a white cherry blossom, and spun it in her hand. After a minute of observing its beauty, she approached the woman. "Stand still please."

Carefully, the wild, mesmerising bud was inserted into the emerald, woven hair, brightening up Dawn's expression.

"How does it look?" Cheryl sheepishly touched it, as if afraid of hurting the decoration.

"You're really pretty."

Those words brought colours to her cheeks. She beamed, and elected to continue on. Dawn followed suit. It was only a few minute walk before they reach the forest entrance. Even before entering, Dawn could feel the cold, haunting air emitting from within the perimeter. It proved not to be the warmest of welcomes she had ever had, but there really wasn't that much of a decision.

Before she could doubt her own resolve, Cheryl reached out and held her by the hand. It brought her a surge of energy and confidence. The two looked at each other, and nodded.

At a more active times, these woods would not be so sullen and chilling. However, since the off-season was in full effect, there were less trainers here than normal. Even worse, it meant that there would be an immense amount of bug pokemon flying around, waiting to catch them off guard. They could be seen vaguely hanging by the tree branches, or embedding their disguises into the woods themselves. The less experienced could be caught entirely off guard if not careful, but Cheryl had spotting concealed bugs as part of her job. Of course, there were also regular insects, nested within every corner of the surround trees. Thankfully, Dawn brought with them repellent for this occasion. Usually it wouldn't be too terrible a problem to run into battle with some of the more annoying residents of the forest, but they didn't have time.

Navigating the forest paths themselves was also quite a bit of a pain. The first time Dawn was here, she only managed to get out in one piece due to Cheryl's guidance and general luck, at least that was what her take was. She had only been in here two other times since then. The first was to finish filling out her old pokedex, resulting in the subsequent discovery of the Old Chateau. The second was to bury the past, which she now needed to dig up again.

"I don't like the looks of this." Dawn said.

"Yeah…" Cheryl was leading the way, but her steps were always cautious. There had always been something quite off about these woods. "It doesn't really get easier, even if I've passed here hundreds of times."

With Cheryl hugging the tree lines, the process of finding the way became trivial. With proper preparations, there were no interferences by random bug pokemons. That said, the mood only turned more morose the deeper they went. Fortunately the forest itself, or at least the part that was accessible by walking, did not take up great length. Soon, the two found themselves standing at the exit. This led to road 205, and subsequently Eterna City. The problem was: that was not their destination. Instead, it was the looming construction on the north side of the gate, just behind the bushes and past the half-broken wooden fences.

Cheryl took out a pokeball from her pocket, and pressed release. A cone of light engulfed the vicinity, and from it, emerged a feline pokemon. A single scarlet jewel in the middle of its forehead shone brightly, revealing its two pairs of ears, and a tail split into two at the end. Its delicate, lilac fur hug its body like a fine-crafted coat of eccentricity.

Without even a command from its owner, the espeon jumped at the bushes. It claws, thin but sharp, burst out of its dainty paws and sliced through the wood like hot knife through butter. With the path now cleared. Cheryl pet the pokemon as a sign of appreciation, before returning it to the pokeball.

Dawn took charge at this point. Where they were going, no one truly understood. What she needed to do must be done fast, as there would be serious complications should haste not be taken as a priority. Cheryl was right behind her the whole time. They walked through a front yard full of overgrown weed and damaged pieces of picket fence. The air was of even less hospitable, and Dawn knew to tread lightly.

In front of them, stood an old manor. The ageing milk colour of its walls, the lapis half-cracked glasses hanging from the window frames, and the punching, dated vermillion roof layer brought the atmosphere to a complete halt. Inside, no one could spot any movement. Outside, there was no sound, not even of the wind.

"Remind me again next time not to leave anything here I may possibly want back." Dawn clenched her fists. She intended this to be her last ever visit.

"Noted."

Cheryl herself had never personally enter the mansion, but it never looked anything but unnecessarily intimidating and creepy every time her peripheral vision pulled her focus to its yard. This time, however, it seemed her job would extend much farther than simply standing watch.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Q: Why does it take you two months to write 1600 words?**_  
_**A: It doesn't.**_

* * *

Chapter 5: Aertex

The large steel gate creaked open, grinding on its hinges like an old four wheeler. Dawn and Cheryl stepped into a black void, arms flailing about in desperate attempts to reach a light switch. The coverings of the forest ensured no light had the chance of reaching any further than an arm's length from the door opening. There were candles lit during Dawn's last visits, but leaving them on would just have been inviting a fire.

"Does any of your pokemon know Flash?" she asked.

"I don't think so."

Clumsily ambling about did them no good, and Cheryl tripped over a wooden contraption, judging by the noise it makes hitting the floor.

"Are you alright?" Sound was a good enough indicator for Dawn to help her friend upright by the hand. "We need to be careful."

"Yeah…" Cheryl had but an embarrassed smile.

That was when they heard the footsteps. A brief moment's shock made Dawn believe those were ghosts', but she soon calmed down. She had actually observed the ghosts of this mansion first hand, and they never made a sound. However, that meant someone else, living, was inside this house. Cheryl, on the other hand, was scared speechless. Dawn could feel the trembling of those bony fingers resonating within her firm grasp, a tell-tale sign.

"What are you doing here?" An old raspy voice spoke aloud. It was dreary familiar to Dawn, but only served to frighten her companion even more. "Can't even introduce yourselves properly, damn kids."

A candle was lit soon after, revealing the broken chandelier it was housed in. Its holder also became visible: an old man in his late fifties, hair grey and parted at the middle, inaptly orange spectacles hung low above the bridge of his nose. He had on a white stained lab coat and black pants, torn in places to reveal those old muscles. He wore a stunned expression, finally recognising one of the people he was speaking too.

"You!" he bellowed. "You're that bratty kid!"

"Charon?" Dawn inadvertently retreated back a few steps, causing Cheryl to follow suit. She had not seen his face in years, and certainly didn't expect to anywhere outside prison. "Stand back!"

"That damn detective isn't here to save you now, little girl."

Setting the light source aside, Charon wasted no time in releasing his pokemons for the battle. The first one was a bipedal toad-like creature, standing a head tall over grown humans. An orange, bloated vocal sac hung beneath its chin, contrasting the blue, lined body patterns. It had curved, meaty claws sticking straight above its tri-fingered hand. The other was a floating purple apparition. Its rounded contour and short, wiggling tail shared the shape of a balloon. Its spiky ears and wide, lipless teeth put the rest of its charm on full display. Dawn released her pokemons as well, her togekiss and empoleon, but took a defensive posture. Not only was her team missing quite a few members, but to say that she hadn't trained in a while would be a gross understatement. Cheryl seemed to be completely out of it, so the teenage girl knew she was on her own.

The gengar was the first to strike. It unleashed waves of hypnotism in an effort to lull the enemies to sleep, but missed. Dawn's togekiss flew up with rapid eccentricity, before curving its wings into a sharp edge form, air rolling across them. The avian pokemon plunged its ovoid body like a cannonball, straight at the unprepared toad. Its air blade landed straight onto the vac, dealing immense damage and knocking the enemy out almost immediately.

Dawn knew that she was ahead, and could finish the battle easily with Pipi's next attack. However, current circumstances prevented her from ordering a surgical water strike, lest risking shutting out the only lighting they currently have, and flooding the building. She gambled on it, and gave the order. The empoleon retracted its wing and put its beak forward, targeting straight at the ghastly opposition. As it opened, a beam of pure hardened ice burst out of its birdy jaws and engulfed the gengar. Dawn knew it was not enough damage to knock the thing out, but counted on the freeze chance instead. It didn't work, and it was gengar's turn to unleash another attack.

The purple fiend had its hands together and channelled lightning out of the ether, madly aiming at both opponents. The empoleon managed to doge the attack with marginal room to spare, but in limited space Toto had nowhere to run to. Struck down, the winged pokemon fell without grace, crumpled onto a nearby table. Charon's face was gleaming with delight, but he did not vocalise any taunts. Pipi was ready to strike back, his wings cupping up again. The ray of ice materialised just as it should, but its damage was even lower than before. Variance as it may be, there was no room for unfortunate outcomes.

The initiative fell back to the gengar, and it once again rained the atmosphere with bolts of lightning. This time it was right on the mark, crippling Pipi with electric paralysis. It could still act, but only at a slower rate, and risks completely fumbling the moves. Dawn was aware of the situation becoming dire, but she had no support on hand. Not expecting to run into any type of battle, she came unprepared. That was when she heard the ringing of a soothing bell. Its chimes radiated an aura of rejuvenation, immediately curing the recently inflicted status effect on Pipi.

Turning around, Dawn saw Cheryl with an open pokeball in hand. Her legs were still shaking, but she managed to summon her blissey. The pink blob pokemon with its hair-like curls and small wing extensions stood there with a caring smile. Seizing the moment, Dawn ordered her empoleon to unleash its final ice beam attack, knocking the gengar off its path and down to the ground. The battle was rightfully over.

"Are you alright?" Dawn held Cheryl by her trembling arms, while the blissey went off to heal Toto back up.

"I'm ok." Brevity has never been her forte, but that was all Cheryl could muster. "Are you?"

"Yeah."

Dawn suffered no unintended injuries. By most standards, that battle was relatively tame due to the limited number of pokemons on both side. A quick gush of wind reminded her of the reason she was even here in the first place. Departing the doorway, she approached the old man, whose back was now to the wall.

"Explain yourself, Charon." He was the one at the top of Team Galactic after Cyrus' self-exile to the Distortion World. The last time they met, he was being hauled off to trial. "What are you doing out of prison?"

"What does it look like?" She took note of his scruffy appearance and dirtied clothing, even more glaring than the holes populating it at random intervals. "I escaped, of course."

"You figured this would be a good hiding place, then."

"No." Charon's expression stiffened. "I'm here for what something else."

It occurred to Dawn that she was in the same situation, and it may be very probable that they were, in fact, looking for the same thing.

"You're looking for the rotom." Charon's eyes widened.

"How do you know?" He grunted. "Are you the reason why I haven't been able to find it?"

It was easy to see why Charon was unaware. Dawn had only been to the Old Chateau twice, both times involving the rotom, and both times were after his arrest. She captured it after it jumped out at her from the TV on the second floor, but she did not return it there the second time.

"I became its trainer." Charon was struggling as to how to react to this bombshell. "I've come here to get it."

"No, you must return it to me!" He grabbed her by the shoulders. However, already a feeble old man after years spent in prison, he posed very little physical threat. Dawn simply shrugged him off. "Please, you don't understand."

"What don't I?" She was now standing over him with little difficulty. He was not squirming, but exhausted.

"I need it." He clasped his hand together in utter sincerity, while his face squeezed into a desperate attempt at crying. "I have nothing else, please."

Dawn had to admit she was feeling sympathetic for the man. He wasn't thinking clear enough to explain, but she had read his abandoned notes. He was the one who discovered rotom when he was just a young boy, and they've become inseparable throughout his entire childhood. He didn't write out how the pokemon ended up being trapped within the TV, but it was obvious to her that he was still a very depressed lonely man. This, however, wasn't her decision to make.

Dawn extracted a candle from the chandelier to carry with her. She walked past him, past the offset stair case, and into the dining hall. There sat a long, clothed dining table parallel to the crumbling walls. Its stained coverings gave no good impressions, but that wasn't what she cared about. A vast array of decorative candles laid across the table, barely visible through the single source of light hovering above Dawn's fingers. She slowly lit up every single one of them, ordered by farthest from the kitchen to nearest. The room, despite its now abundance of light, did not appear brighter. Only the dry air and sullen atmosphere reigned supreme.

Dawn sat at the end of the table, arms crossed, breath withheld. As the aroma of the candle slowly overtakes the room, she felt a presence drawing besides her. From outside her vision, a hand, neatly gloved and expertly firm, delivered a plate before her.

"Welcome back, young mistress."


	6. Chapter 6

_**There's a man on the mountain top, and he's shooting up all the stars.**_

* * *

Chapter 6: Cashmere

"Christopher." Dawn's measured words were delivered as brief and conservative as possible. "We have guests."

"Very good, miss." The ghastly voice was that of an aged man, showing little emotion. "What would you like?"

"I want you to fetch Cassie."

A moment of silent consumed the atmosphere.

"Are you sure that's wise, miss?"

"It's the only way."

"Very well, miss." An envisioned bow was taken.

The arm disappeared back into the aether. Exhaling, Dawn stood up and started snubbing candle sets. With the ritual completed, leaving them on would do very little but create a fire hazard. She took one for herself, and returned to the front hall.

Out here, Cheryl was still waiting in silence, and Charon still had his back to the wall. He had managed to retrieve his knocked out pokemons, but seems to have lost his spirit entirely. Cheryl approached Dawn swiftly, concerned.

"Who were you talking to in there?" She asked.

"The butler of the house." Dawn remained brief. "He's Christopher, if you didn't catch it."

"I wasn't aware there was someone living here."

"'Living' is probably the wrong word." Cheryl gasped in response. This development was undoubtedly news to her, as Dawn had never elected to share this piece of information with anyone. "There are two of them here. You'll see."

"You mean they'll come out here," Cheryl said, "and talk with us?"

"They have to, but not to us." Dawn pointed a reluctant finger at the man slumped on the ground. "To him."

Charon, naturally, was aware of the situation. However, he appeared to possess no motivation for any activity, and simply sat there in silence. He simply accepted the inevitable. Dawn sat Cheryl down to a nearby chair, and advised her not to partake in whatever conversation that would soon occur. Dawn stood near her, holding a single candle, the last light source of the entire building, in hand.

From the dark came two silhouettes. One was tall, bald, and held inklings of a proper attire; it was too dark to say for sure. The other was of a much smaller size, a child of no more than ten, decorated by an ankle-length dress and easy-tie bow behind the hair. They walked without a sound, or simply moved in a general direction.

"Here is Ms. Cassia, as you requested." The old man's voice rang once again. Cheryl began to experience chills, but Dawn quickly patted her by the arm to calm her down. "Would there be anything else, young mistress?"

"No." Dawn waved him off, and turned to the fleshy old man on the ground. "Charon, it's about time for you to speak up."

"What do you want me to say?" He cried. "I've already lost everything, and you expect me to have the courage to face up to my haunting?" He choked on his own words. "I'm not that strong a man!"

"I didn't expect our encounter, but since you're here." Dawn spoke slowly, waiting for his sanity to catch up. "I wanted to help mediate a situation."

"And?" He grunted.

"Cassie?" Dawn's words were directed at the figure of the young child, now moving closer towards the downed man. "You wanted to have a talk, this is your chance."

"Thanks, Dawn." Cassie speaks in upbeat, yet hollow tone. One would expect to see a big smile, contrasted with lowered eyes to match such a voice, but no features could be made out in the darkness. "Charon, I've missed you."

"Cassie, I…" He stumbled. "I'm so sorry."

"Charon…"

"I'm sorry I let that happened to you." His hands were frantic, and his fingers clawed at his cheeks. "I didn't know what would happen. Rotom just…"

"It's alright, brother." It threw Dawn off every time Cassie speaks. The little girl had been the same for decades now, and her words do not march her voice. "I've never held it against you. We never have, right?"

Christopher, unaddressed until now, performed what could only be explained as an inconspicuous nod. Charon stared at them blankly, until his eyes started to water.

"Cassie." He finally managed to mutter. "I've missed you too."

"Dawn, can you come here?" Dawn did not reply, but she approached the three with her lit candle. As the light moved forward, Cheryl saw Charon in tatters. Next to him the figures no longer possessed clear outlines. They were just fading husks of shadows, impossible to make out how they would have looked like had they still been alive. "Look at you, brother. You've aged so much, I barely recognise you."

"I'm old now, Cassie." He desperately tried to wipe the tears and stifle the sniffles. "I came here unannounced because I didn't want you to see me like this."

"You came to find Rotom, right?" He nodded. "I'm sorry, but Rotom belongs to Dawn now."

"How?" He glared at the teenage girl.

"She came here a few years ago, and Rotom revealed itself to her." Cassie continued. Charon's features began to contort into a scowl. "It must have been very lonely, sitting there in the TV all alone."

"So she captured it, and subsequently this mansion as well." He rubbed his head. "Then what's she doing here now?"

"You have to ask her." Cassie stepped off the vicinity of the light.

"A few months after Rotti's capture, I decided to retire it." Dawn spoke her part. "I gave it to Christopher for safe keeping, and now I'm here to take it back."

"I see." As much as Charon wanted to lash out right then, he had already been defeated. There was nothing he could do except to accept the facts. "Would it be too much for you to let me have it?"

"I'm not that against returning it to you." Dawn said. "But I'm not the one you should speak to."

"What do you mean?"

"I know Rotom was your best friend. I've read your notes." Dawn walked back to her friend, bringing the light source with her. "But I don't think that's a sentiment shared amongst your family."

"Oh my god." His head quickly turned to the ghost of his sister, who stood silent. His face in his hands, Charon squirmed on the ground. "I can't believe I've never even considered."

"You don't have to do anything, Charon." Cassie spoke softly. "Just let it go."

"I don't want to be alone anymore." He cried.

"You don't have to." She answered. "I'll always be here for you, brother."

The young girl's silhouette became more prominent as the light source was moved away. She could be seen leaning down to her brother, now quite a few times her size, and embraced him. Dawn could not tell whether or not Charon was aware of it, or did he feel anything, but she knew it was no her place to ask.

"I think it's about time for you to, young mistress." Christopher approached her, hand holding a jewellery box the size of a fist. He was but an apparition, but the box was very real. She gently took it, and snapped it onto the side of her belt as was. "I believe this shall be our last meeting."

She nodded, and urged Cheryl to stand up. Setting the candle on the ground, the two began to walk out of the building. Presently, the door closed behind them, and they were now on the front yard. There was a brief spark seen from outside the mansion, before a burst of flames overtook the ground floor. There was no sound from the inside, and no movement could be seen. The towering inferno soon engulfed the entire building.

The forest was still, and there was no wind. The entire structure was swallowed whole, until the fire started to get dangerous close to the proximity of the surrounding wooden layer of fence. Dawn quickly summoned her empoleon, and commanded it to dowse the blaze in a soaring waterfall. Once the fire had died down, there was nothing but ashes clinging to the structure of a once marvellous abandoned mansion. Cheryl guided the teenage girl home, whose right hand was clutching the jewellery box.

Back inside Cheryl's cabin, they sat on the bed. Dawn knew that her companion was filled to the brim with questions, but she was simply exhausted. Pulling out the box, she opened it sluggishly. Inside held a pokeball. It had black outline, with large, oval green spots distributed across its hinges. Discarding the box, Dawn stuck the ball onto her belt, and sighed deeply.

"Hey." Cheryl held her by the hands. "Are you ok?"

"Cheryl…" Dawn began. "Do you remember me telling that was my last visit?"

"Yes."

"It would've been my last visit even if I hadn't met Charon there." Cheryl slowly took Dawn in for an embrace. "I just wanted to wash my hands of it, but couldn't."

Dawn then proceeded to tell her friend the entire story: how Cassie, Charon's younger sister, as well as Christopher, the family butler, was caught in an accident involving the rotom, and didn't make it. The owners, Charon's parents, abandoned the estate for that reason, and they had since passed away. Charon himself was involved with team Galactic and arrested a few years prior. All of this Dawn had learnt from talking to Cassie, as well as contacts with detective Looker.

"They've been through a lot." Cheryl said. "But so have you, Dawn."

"It isn't going to get any easier from here on." Dawn squeezed the older woman. "I'm sure Rotti hates me too for leaving it along so long."

"It'll understand." Cheryl gently massaged the teenage girl's back with great technique.

"How do you do it?" Dawn said, swooning under the sensual touch. "No matter what happens, nothing seems to be able to get to you."

"I suppose because I believe I'm luckier than a lot of people." The older woman held an invisible smile. "I have a job. I can provide for myself. I haven't done anything I regret." A pause. "Most of all, I'm someone who you consider your friend."

Dawn bawled into those slender arms.


	7. Chapter 7

_**If you started off this series thinking it's a drama romance flick like SttD, I apologise for misleading you.**_

* * *

Chapter 7: Bengaline

Dawn was back on the road again the next morning. Her original plan, though a few days delayed, was still relatively on track. With half her team back under possession, she could actually start training again before long. That in mind, she figured she should take a break, not by actually resting, but by going to collect a member of her team that was known to give her very little trouble.

Sitting atop togekiss' deceptively limited wingspan, she could see Hearthome beneath her. The city was even bigger than she remembered, asserting itself as the most thriving and biggest hub in the entire region. As Jubilife continued its downward spiral, Hearthome had become undeniable the tourist capital.

Dawn passed straight above the Contest Hall. The giant scarlet top of the dome stood out majestically, drawing in attention from all direction, as if awaiting a worthy challenger. Its solid, intimidating marble column base planted themselves firmly into the ground, revelling in the utter lack of restraint. She could do nothing but sigh, for she knew that there was a very good chance her own mother was within those halls at this very moment. Johanna had always been an agreeable woman to most, but her own daughter had never had the heart to say how much her love of contests was such a divide between them. Who could blame Johanna? After all, she loved what she was doing, and she was very good at it, hence many others love her too.

Dawn was reminded of all those women her mother was always with, who shared the same love. Dawn never cared enough to learn their names, as she didn't share their interests. In fact, she couldn't recall ever seeing Johanna with anyone that didn't enjoy being in the same clique of, at least to Dawn, superfluous people with too much time on their hands. Dawn loved her mother, but that there was no reason to hold back. Everyone partook in this elaborate gatherings of pride, but only to pretend to be courteous when they lost, and then brag with as much subtlety as an articulate cockroach in the off chance they happened to win.

Everyone but Cynthia.

Dawn had never seen Cynthia near any of the contest halls before, despite being told that such a place was where the blonde and Johanna met. Slowly, the teenage girl started to take into account just how contrasting the two older women's personalities and appearances were. Johanna donned the most pompous, eye-catching costume whenever she left the house for social gatherings, but tend to dress very reserved in a private setting. She also talk with a much more elevated, faux classy tone outside, yet to her daughter nothing but tender, upbeat tenor. Cynthia, on the other hand, seemed consistent wherever it was one had a chance of catching her. Her clothing were always very straight-forward and seldom changed, radiating an elegant quality to them. She also spoke with mellow, concise sentences, and rarely ever raised her voice. The two together was a definite clash of styles, and perhaps that was why they never arranged to meet outside of Johanna's house. Still, Dawn never understood how their friendship even came to be.

Toto pulled Dawn out of her train of thought by landing. As her feet were firmly planted on the ground, she realised that she had flew past Hearthome, and an entire stretch of the eastern forest, while she was still lost in thought. She was now on the banks of an isolated lake, completely surround by tall trees. There was very little to see here, except for the gate to the lakefront at the opposite side, and a very peculiar landmass floating in the middle of the water. Toto was called back into the pokeball, but Dawn's empoleon was quickly summon. It walked clumsily into the water, where it laid on its back. She carefully eased forward and sit on those flashing steel wings, as water waves started to form beneath the two. It didn't take long before they carried her into the secluded plot of land, where a cavern sat silently. A small, wooden notice board was erected at the entrance. It read 'Valour Cavern'.

With the first step inside, Dawn noted how much brighter the insides of the cave look. Of course, there wasn't a lot that was inside the case to even look at in the first place. Even then, Dawn experienced a fluttering feeling. There was nothing physical that had shifted about the atmosphere, but rather a wave of compelling introspection that inhabited her mind. It gave her hope, passion, and plans for the future. However, it also made her weary of the risks, the past tragedies, and the reason why she had to come here in the first place.

"Azelf." Dawn narrowed her eyes, and walked toward the centre of the cavern with great caution. "I'm back."

Floating above strange and elaborative diagrams of water puddle was a small pokemon. Its head, pointy at the top and expanding to the sides like shark fins, was coloured cyan, except for a dense, vermillion gem at its forehead. Its arms, slender and grey like the rest of its body, housed a pair of hands with only two small fingers on each. Its narrow, stubby feet stuck straight out under its body, and seemed to point forward while it levitated. Two tails, identical, sprawled from its back and extended into a reverse crown shape, also housing a red gem in each.

Dawn looked at it, but it didn't look at her. In fact, though its eyes were open, she could bet it wasn't even looking at anything at all in particular. Despite her calling earlier, the pokemon stayed perfectly still. She had caught it once before, but refused to name it, for its independence was too great for her to override. Dawn figured that the pokemon probably already sensed her own unease as she was walking in. This was the pokemon of willpower amongst the lake guardian trio, and that was also why it was so eager to join her the last time.

Now, however, her resolve must look only like a shadow of its former self.

Dawn pulled out a vacant pokeball from her belt. It was black and golden, an inverted U could be seen decorated above its hatch. She held it in her hand for a while, before pressing the button in the middle. The device popped its hood, but no bright light that usually accompanied this event could be seen. Azelf, especially, did not move. Dawn sighed. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she didn't expect this kind of resistance either.

"Fine," she said, "have it your way."

Pipi, still yet to be recalled, was elected to step forward. This was when Azelf turned its quizzically shaped head to face what seemed to be its opponent in an imminent pokemon battle. The two stared down each other, letting their gaze do the talking. As both used to belong in Dawn's team, there was very little need for test of actual abilities. They knew each other well enough, despite the brief period that was from Dawn's capture of Azelf until her previous release of the Valour lake guardian. Whatever happened this time, she wasn't going to let go of her team again, but she needed another pokemon to communicate this fact.

Azelf, after much deliberation, decided to land on the ground. Its feet clumsily muddled through the shallow water, and toward the empoleon. They exchanged one last heavy look, before catching each other in a swift embrace. Seeing this, Dawn inadvertently smiled. Pipi retreated into his pokeball not long after, leaving on its trainer and the legendary pokemon in standing.

"Welcome back." Dawn gently rubbed it on the head. Azelf didn't react too favourably, but it didn't protest either. Seeing it as a signal, she tried opening the pokeball once again, and this time it complied with her wishes. In a white flash of light, Dawn was now the only living being within this cavern. To her, this fact wasn't actually that bad of a change. With the way she'd been living for the last few years, it would not be such a problem just living in a success story, if only for a few minutes. She sat down, back to the cold stone walls, and rested her head.

When she awoke, spine aching in retort to the posture she was situated in, the insides of the cave had already become near pitch black. However, since the floor was relatively flat, and there was a visible source of light coming from the entrance, it wasn't much trouble for her to navigate outside. She didn't want to rush her movements, as there was still water patches all over that Dawn would like to keep off of her clothes. It took her a few minutes before she made it out.

The sky had already darkened, but she could still see a heated light source that could be observed from the northwest. Curious, Dawn called out her togekiss, and together they ascended. At this distance, Dawn could hardly make out the details. However, there was one thing very clear to her: Hearthome city submerged under intense flames.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Heavy fluctuation in immediate future schedule impending.**_

* * *

Chapter 8: Himroo

The togekiss raced across the sky, with Dawn on its back sweating buckets. By the time they arrived overhead the burning city, the flames had already been reasonably controlled. Fire trucks and water pokemons were surrounding all of the important structures, trying their best to dowse the fire. However, there was clearly just not enough manpower to handle a city of this size. How it got to this point without anyone even realising, Dawn was not aware, but she knew she had to help. Landing, she released Pipi and had it joint in the firefighting efforts.

All around her, people and pokemons were running amok. Panic could be seen on everyone's faces, as they scattered about trying to save whatever they could, and themselves if desperate enough. The beige road paving cracked loudly underneath every step, with mothers and their children – a good portion of the city's population – ran outside to take shelter. Standing in the north side of the city, Dawn could observe the mobilisation effort of within the town. Naturally, more prominent and important buildings were where the evacuations and firefighting efforts focused. The Super Contest Hall, the Hotel, the Gym, the Foreign Chapel, the Pokemon Fan Club, and the Poffin house demanded the majority of attention. It was invisible from this view, but Dawn knew that the Amity Square was also caught in the fire, and many more were over there to assist with relief efforts. It was at this point that the fire started to catch onto the surrounding trees, slowly growing into a wall of fire three-story high covering the entire cityscape. There was no longer any escape until the entire place was extinguished, since the woods ran for hundreds of miles in all direction.

An electrical spark could be seen emitting from the west side of where she was standing. Presently, it reminded her of someone important. Recalling Pipi at an astounding rate, she sprinted towards the old Pokemon Centre. She hadn't many acquaintances in this town, for all the superficial distaste that it held, but there was one. Once she got there, the Pokemon Centre had almost completely burnt down, but next to it was another structure. Its modest two-story design was consistent with its limited age awareness. With all the frivolity of this town, at least before the fire, this house had always stood out as being significantly older and more out of style. Despite also caught in the fire, it amazingly still emanated light from the inside, and the electronics littered around the house was the reason for the spark.

Dawn called Pipi out once again, and ordered the penguin pokemon to focus its dowsing efforts on the door. The steel-mixed entranced crumbled under the water pressure, giving Dawn access to the inside. Running in without hesitation, she was greeted with what had to be the most hazardous laboratory ever concocted. Wires and machinery took up the majority of space within the house. End to end were bookshelves, computers, chemistry sets, pokemon transfer prototypes, and cabinets of all kind. At a corner, in front of a laptop, sat a blonde woman, endlessly clacking away at the keyboard. Her hair was bundled up in a beehive manner, and she was sweating profusely under the heat of the fire, even with the sleeveless shirt and shorts. Astonishingly, the insides of the house seemed quite resilient to the fire, and there didn't seem to be any perceived breach as of yet. However, with the temperature rapidly rising, it would be suicide to stay in here any longer.

"Bebe!" Dawn bellowed. This prompted a brief turn of the head, but nothing more. "You have to get out of here."

"Not yet," said the blonde, "I have to finish rerouting the storage system. I need you to buy me some time."

"Alright." Dawn had no choice but to take that as it was. "Please hurry."

Bebe was the developer of the Sinnoh's Pokemon Storage System, and it was no surprise that the equipment found in this burning room had a lot to do with the upkeep of the system itself. Dawn's empoleon was still outside fighting the fire, but the excess amount of electricity found all around the house were not helping the effort. The innermost room seemed to be temporarily protected from the heat, but such a measure would stop working once the structural integrity of the building failed and it collapsed on itself.

A light flashed as the small, blue fairy pokemon was released from its pokeball. Azelf shook its head, as if awakening from a long sleep, before greeted by the inferno all around it.

"Azelf, I need you to hold this house together for a while." Commanded Dawn.

The pokemon immediately got to work. From the gem in its forehead, rays of light radiated in waves, directly aimed at the falling building. The fire did not stop, but the parts of the structure had stopped crumbling. It appeared to have been caught in a kind of psychic safety net. Of course, a solution such as this was never meant to be permanent. What surprised Dawn the most, however, was that the fire didn't seem to be dying down. Watering tasks could be seen taking place still, but new fires kept erupting to counteract this effort. That would be the immediate point of investigation after Dawn was done here.

"Dawn." She heard Bebe's voice from inside the burning house. Running back inside, she saw Bebe slumping over the close laptop. "Get me out."

Dawn took her by the hand, and clumsily dragged her out. Bebe reacted feebly, and only managed to keep the laptop in her grasp with the last of her strength. As both of them made it all successfully, Azelf let go of his grip on the building. The delayed collapse took place presently, but with both of them out of the way, no concrete blocks breaking off managed to reach. Taking a rest on the ground, Dawn noticed the various first degree burns scattered across Bebe's skin. It was an expected consequence of staying far too long in a burning room without properly heat insulation, but it served to denote just what kind of condition she was suffering under.

"Are you ok?" Dawn picked herself up, the other girl still on the ground panting.

"I managed to finish." Bebe didn't seem too interested in her own safety at all. That said, after trying to move and failed because of how much her injuries were hurting, she had to acknowledge it. "I can't feel my legs."

"If I hadn't come, what do you think would happen?" Dawn was in the process of recalling her pokemons. At this point, all of them were sufficiently worn out.

"I don't know really." The technician smiled weakly. Holding her burnt arms straight in front of her eyes, she studied the stretching red lines. "Either I would finish the job, and then burn to death, or I try to run out early, only to realise that I'm too weak to even move properly, and then burn to death anyway."

"You're such a downer." Dawn gave her a slight rub on the shoulder.

"I'm just trying to say thank you." Bebe glanced at her laptop again. "No need to get testy."

"I know." Dawn smiled back, and helped her sit up straight next to a car. Afterwards, the girl started walking, albeit wearily. "Stay here and wait for help, won't you?"

"Where are you going?"

"To find the one's causing this problem." Dawn affirmed herself. "Do you know when this started?"

"I noticed the fire some thirty minutes ago, then I heard the emergency announcements." Bebe scratched her head trying to recall more. "Were you not here when it happened?"

"No, I was just passing by." Dawn took one last look back, then noticed something. "Where's your eevee?"

"After I realised there was a chance I'm not surviving, I transferred her out."

Deciding that everything she left was as it should be, Dawn carried on. As far as she could tell, though the fire was still generally big and intimidating, the core of its intensity was moving. When she arrived, the fire largely clumped around the Super Contest Hall, but now had transitioned toward Amity Square somehow. The only explanation that made sense was that whoever's responsible for this is moving rapidly northward. Even knowing this, Dawn had to run there, since flying would make her too much of a target.

When she got the west gate, it had already burnt down completely. This allowed her to climb through to get to the square, albeit very slowly. The fire wall blocking any outside help had not ceased, but it had not expanded either. Dawn had a plan, but she would need to handle the fire starter first.

As she expected, the lake clearing here served as the only heat-proofing material available, and the grass did not help, though they've mostly all been scorched clean by this point. What really had her attention, however, was the molten tornado spinning on the dirt mound in the middle of the lake. At the bottom of it, Dawn could make out a faint silhouette of a pokemon. It stood four-legged, claws extending out and firmly dug into the ground. Dawn stood still, not because of confusion, but because she knew precisely what it was.


	9. Chapter 9

**If only I could write battles like this back in Something to this Day.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Intarsia

"Heatran." Dawn murmured.

She drew closer to the magma pillar, carefully easing out of potential spills at every step. She lightly grabbed her pokemon bells. Usually, even if Heatran was a legendary pokemon, her empoleon should be able to make short work of it. However, due to the large amount of effort it had made trying to calm down the fire, that battle would now be ill-fitted. It would take everything Pipi had left to just bust open a clearing within that intense swirling tornado. With that in mind, neither Azelf nor her togekiss would be a fair match for the flaming steel beast. Even then, she had very little choice in the matter. She knew very well that Heatran was controlled by whoever in possession of the Magma Stone, and that person cannot be far, and cannot be within that column of flames either. Her plan was to find whoever it was and bring the fight directly to him.

Pipi was released once again. The metal penguin was already barely holding itself up, almost entirely exhausted from its water expense. Dawn rubbed its belly, and kissed it as a sign of encouragement. Focusing, the pokemon unleash the last gush of dowsing liquid it could muster, drenching an entire line straight from where they were towards the lake. It was the only path Dawn could take, and so she did. Discarding her backpack and recalling her pokemon, she ran straight towards the body of water, and jumped straight in. As she guessed, not a few moments after she was beginning to swim down did rays of fire followed and engulfed where she just was. If she had stayed on land it would have been disastrous. The good news was, she knew whoever was watching had to be standing from an angle where he could see her previous position, which practically limited his position to be somewhere on the upper west level of the square, perhaps somewhere close to the entrance of one of her ruins.

Emerging from the water after a period of concealment, Dawn released Toto to carry her into the air. With the burning atmosphere surrounding the city, it was impossible for them to leave, but hovering four metres atop the ground was enough to give manoeuvrability over the constant scorching attacks. The pokemon flew straight toward the array of hardened dirt mounds on the elevated grounds north of the square, curiously untouched. Dawn decided that it was about time to take the offensive. Releasing Azelf, she ordered it to unleash an array of psychic attacks. Dawn had yet to discover who this villainous force was, but she had a rather good idea. These battle would hopefully confirm her suspicion, depending on how these attacks turned out. The purple waves assaulted the mounds high and low, but no visible reactions could be seen.

Presently, the earth moved. It was not a tremor than ran through the earth, but the ground itself, at least those beneath the amity square ruins, physically lifted itself up. In a slow and bothered manner, a form of a gigantic golem could be observed rising up from the mud, crushing everything in its wake. The beast's colossal size almost eclipsed the fire ring itself, standing immensely tall over even Dawn and her flying togekiss. Its ancient, foliage grown body covering shrugged themselves on their way up, dislodging a great amount of broken trees and rocks. The pokemon stretched itself, body with six eye-like gems vertically aligned, staring blankly. Momentarily, these began to flash red. Dawn hurriedly recalled Azelf, but a moment too late. The giant, with its wrists gripped in golden bands, unleashed a massive blow at the fairy pokemon, which was less a tenth the size of that huge fist alone. Azelf was completely recalled before the being smashed into the ground, but Dawn could see it suffered great injury.

The giant was then slackened greatly, struggling to keep up, and telepathed its next attacks obviously. Dawn used this halt to skilfully dodge out of the way, but the monster was not letting up. Curiously enough, though it was in direct contact with the flames from the magma storm, it appeared unharmed, even completely unaffected by the heat. Dawn knew she could not fight against a monster of this size, but it appeared to be fairly cumbersome in its movement. If she could somehow stop the outer rim of the city from burning, help from outside could arrive and aid the situation. Knowing that, she order Toto to dash off back to Hearthome's inner city. This did not escape the notice of the giant, however, as the pokemon began charging a white beam from the sloping section in its chest. Dawn was not prepare for the size of that ray, and was almost hit by its area of effect. Though she managed to escape damage, the sheer pressure force knocked her and Toto off. They only few from a two metre height, but the velocity made it a lot more brutal.

"Dawn!" Hearthome's gym leader, Fantina, was running toward the teenage girl as she fell, with the entire posse right behind. It was a sight to see the woman in anything but contest clothes and ridiculous hair bundles, but that was the least of Dawn's worries. She was barely standing up, and Toto was no longer in any position to fight. "Are you alright? Do you know what's going on, who's causing this fire?"

"A moment." Dawn gasped for air as she fell into the arms of the moment, unable to stand up straight otherwise. Almost her entire team was wiped out, and with the looks of things no one else in this city at this hour could possibly do anything either. "There's a Heatran in there. It's what covering the city in fire."

"How does it get here?" Fantina was looking ready to battle. At this point, it's hard to think anyone would be able to go up against that giant, which only Dawn knew of, and the Heatran at the same time. The girl had a plan, but she needed help. "Are you alright?"

"Never mind me, tell someone to-." She had to take a pause to groan in pain. "Get me a washing appliance of some kind."

"Why?"

"No time, just do it." Fantina obliged, and gave the order. Soon enough, an entire fire truck arrived at their location. However, it was naturally already out of water. Everyone was waiting for her to continue. "I need someone to drive that truck straight to the amity square lake."

That shocked everyone. They looked about, the dozens of them, waiting for each other to volunteer. Even Fantina did not speak, out of cowardice or shock Dawn did not know. The only thing she knew for sure was that there was no way she could do this by herself.

"You people!" Attention quickly diverted toward that booming voice. Bebe, in her blonde, sleeveless glory, was already inside the truck. "Dawn, come on!" Dawn, smiling, was helped over and inside the truck.

"Don't follow us." She said. It wasn't out of spite, but of serious consideration.

The car's engine primed, and the two started accelerating towards the burning square. Crushing the broken gate beneath the rolling wheels, Bebe turned to the girl.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"I don't, but it's always nice to have someone going down with me."

They both smiled at each other, ear-to-ear. The Heatran concentrated its attack towards the vehicle, catching it on fire. Regardless, they pressed on at absurdly high speed. From the distance, the giant pokemon from before was priming another beam attack.

"Your plan?" Bebe bellowed, one hand shielding herself from the heat.

"Jump out when we're underwater."

With a big splash, the two tonne vehicle was completely submerged. Dawn, with the help of the athletic Bebe, was barely able to escape the wreckage before it dragged her down. Once both of them were on land, she had her chance. From the belt, she took out the pokeball Christopher had handed her. Pressing the button in the middle, her rotom was released. In its primal form, it looked like a small bolt of electricity, orange at its cores, and eyes wildly turning.

"Go, Rotti!" The pokemon zapped into pure energy, before diving straight down to the lake. Under the clear water, they could see it fusing itself with the fire truck, taking over its structural compartments. With a metallic roar, the rotom, now completely integrated into the vehicle, burst from the banks, filled to the brim with water. "Hydro Pump!"

The fire truck's hose, now outfitted as a giant water cannon, let loose a ten metre wide cone of water straight at the burning storm housing the Heatran. The steel fire pokemon writhed in pain, as its molten spots and tornado got snuffed out. It fell to the ground, immobile. The water pillar was so high and powerful it covered almost the entire west gate, extinguishing all hindrance of movement between the inner city and the outer square. The giant, however, was no affected. It had finished priming, and steered another giant beam of light toward the two. They braced for impact, but did not expect to be untouched after it all. Opening their eyes, Fantina was now standing right beside them, using her entire array of ghost pokemon as an ethereal to sponge that beam right off. From the distance, a loud clicking noise could be heard. Promptly, both Heatran and the giant pokemon was recalled, signifying the perpetrator's escape attempt.

"Don't let him get away." Dawn breathed harshly, and passed out.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Wipe your tears off my guitar.**_

* * *

Chapter 10: Calico

"She should not have been here."

"It's not our say, Johanna."

"She's only sixteen, where were all the adults?"

"Calm down, Johanna."

"How am I supposed to be calm? She's my daughter, what would you do?"

"Johanna!"

A loud slam sent tremors across the room.

Dawn groaned. Her head was drumming up a storm, and her eyes refused to pry themselves open. She moved her limbs, but only numbness could be felt. She desired a peaceful repose, but how could she if this argument rejected every plea at settling down. None of them even noticed her awakening, it seemed, as the spat only continued.

"But I-" That voice belonged to her mother, and Dawn was not very familiar with her mother yelling in a panic like that. She usually was such a patient and sweet woman. For a moment, Dawn wondered how badly she was hurt that would warranty this reaction.

"Look." The other voice, also feminine, was much sterner, and for a moment Dawn could not tell who it belonged to. A quality of forcefulness could be found in it, along with a deeply hidden quivering sensation of unease. "You being here and screaming at me does not do her any good. Would you much rather her have her rest?"

Dawn figured that was the end of it, since her mother decided not to respond. Loud, irritated steps signalled Johanna leaving the room, and it seemingly just Dawn and the mysterious woman. The girl felt the side of her bed bent down to support the newly added weight, and could feel the body heat of the other person at such a close proximity. Dawn herself was too tired to react, so it was perfectly reasonable for the other party to figure she was still sleeping.

"Please wake up soon." Said the feminine voice. Dawn recognised a pair of warm, sensual lips resting on her forehead. Slender fingers crossed through the girl's ebon hair, decorating the mutual presence with a delicate touch. Presently, it was gone. The woman soon departed from the room as well, and Dawn was all alone again.

She took this opportunity to fall back asleep, but that touch lingered prominently in her dreams.

Morning came, though Dawn was not aware which day it was. Opening her tired eyes finally, she spotted a fluffy pink blob beside her. The pokemon had been monitoring her condition, as it turned out, and she gratefully gave it a thanking pat. Seeing as the patient had awoken, the chansey called in glee, causing the nurses to gather around the hospital bed.

"How do you feel, Dawn?" A natural question that they should be asking.

Even then, Dawn knew not of how to answer. A simple 'I'm fine' may be appropriate, but it hardly conveyed her emotions accurately. She could have been here two days or two months, and none would be the wiser. The ramifications of the risk she took hit her so fast that she almost felt like breaking down in tears. However, that would have to wait.

"I'm ok," was what she went with. "What day is it?"

"May 13th," said one of the nurses. Every nurse where the exact same pink on white outfit, and along with the unusual brightness of this facility gave Dawn a massive headache. "You've been unconscious for half a month."

"Half a month." Dawn could scarcely believe it. Considering how she was still somewhat sentient after being knocked out of the sky, burnt under intense flames, and thrown into a river a few times, she had expected earlier recovery. "Was I really that knocked out?"

"Ms. Johanna insisted you be sedated until we finished healing your physical injuries." That would be just like mom, she thought. Letting a pokemon use their healing power on you require great concentration, and was usually done to speed up the natural process. Her mother probably wanted it so that she could get back early. "We'll tell her right away that you're up."

"Am I still in Hearthome?" The nurses nodded. "Has she been here waiting for me?" The nurses nodded again.

With that, Dawn had no more questions. Everyone cleared out to give her some space, and she used it to just stare at the ceiling. How close that incident was to ending her life was rather uncomfortable to think about, and even in this moment of silence she was still not sure whether or not she made the correct choice. However, her mother wouldn't let her finish that train of thought, and stormed through the entrance. In a moment, Dawn found herself between her mother's tender embrace.

"Oh honey, I was so worried." Those words were as genuine as anyone could hope to speak them. "Are you alright? Does it still hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine, mom."

"Well that's great to hear." Her mother's smile was beaming, uncomfortably so even. "Now you can come back home with me and we'll have a celebration?"

"Just for a few days, right?" Dawn asked, her head tilting to one side.

"What do you mean?" Johanna was incredulous of where the conversation was heading. It occurred to her that there might indeed be a disagreement. "You're not thinking leaving home again, are you?"

"I haven't even returned yet." Dawn protested. "Are you saying that I shouldn't go back on the road?"

"Of course not, look at what it did to you!" Both of them were becoming intensely emotional, and such a sight was inapt for a health care institution such as this, so they undoubtedly received a few pairs of curious eyes. "You can't be seriously thinking of doing that again."

"Mom, I'm not saying what I did was the brightest thing, but I did save this city."

"Yes, but you could also have been killed." Johanna's attempt at making a convincing argument didn't seem effective to her own mental health. "I'm glad that you didn't, but why would you keep tempting fate by doing these things?"

"That's the only thing I can do." Dawn swallowed harshly. It took her a long time to come to terms with it, but this was a time as good as it was going to be for her to present her case. "I'm an adventurer, and I'm sorry but you'll have to accept that. It's not going to change."

"I just wish you could grow up a little faster, honey." That neither meant to be condescending nor judgmental, Johanna simply had nothing else to say. She could force Dawn to stay home if she really wanted to, but considering the last time that happened, it was a plan bound to fail eventually. That didn't mean she had to like it. "You're still so young, yet I can't bring myself to force you."

"I know, mom." Dawn returned the embrace. She surely felt guilty, and her mother's position was perfectly understandable. Perhaps one day when she had grown weary and tired, or when the world had nothing left to offer, her mother will still be there. For now, they would have to agree to disagree. "I'm sorry."

This wasn't going to be the end of it, Dawn thought. Though this topic rarely came up, it would get to a point where her mother would no longer be satisfied with the kind of life she lived, and then things would be very complicated. Dawn would rather save those concerns for another day, however. She stepped outside to get some air, trying her best to stay away from the sterile hospital interiors. It just didn't sit right with her. Walking down the hallway, Dawn was greeted with another familiar face, though this one she had even more mixed feelings about.

Cynthia stood there, hands inside her black jacket, blonde hair stuffed firmly behind her shirt. She stood with great persistence, back to the wall, eyes firmly on the walking girl.

"What are you doing here?" said Dawn, voice tainted with great unrest.

"I've been here as long as your mother has." That was when Dawn's memories patched up the missing details of the mysterious woman from her dreams. Her cheeks reddened instinctively. "I didn't really mean to disturb you, but I couldn't leave without knowing you're alright."

"You know." Dawn started walking toward the exit, prompting Cynthia the follow. "I was awake during your screaming match with my mother."

"Were you?" The blonde was genuinely surprised, and even more so how both of them remembered. To Dawn, it was one of the few moments of clarity she was spared for two weeks of hospitalisation, but to Cynthia, it was something completely different.

"I was, and so I know how you took advantage of an injured girl." The woman stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide. Dawn stopped as well, staring at those grey orbs with seriousness, before letting out a smile. "Don't be like that, I was just joking."

"I didn't mean to." Cynthia began, but her words were cut off.

"You don't have to explain yourself, but I have to ask." They were on the move again, and Dawn's words were actually weighted. "When you sent me that letter, what did you expect to happen?"

"I just wanted an opportunity for us to talk at a better time."

"Talk at a better time?" Dawn growled. "What do you plan to say? Would you apologise to me and hope that we can make up?"

"Dawn…" The woman was out of words.

"We could have had everything." They once again faced each other. "But you didn't want give up what you have, and we ended up like this."

This conversation, though started tame, turned out to be exactly the same as their last one. It was no longer possible to continue it while being level-headed, and they both knew it as well. Cynthia turned and walked off, while the girl aimed for the hospital yard to recollect her cool.

At this moment, Dawn was still in the dark as to what was the point of trying, but she could no longer stop.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Damask

Her feet sauntered at a weary speed away from the hospital.

It took Dawn another week after regaining consciousness to be fully dismissed, her mother's orders. Cynthia disappeared after the confrontation, and so had Johanna. Dawn was on her own again, back on the road, just the way she liked it. It had been a month since the start of her journey, and she certainly did not expect things to be held up like this. Her team was now more than half-way reassembled, but the rest aren't exactly easy to find. Furthermore, the attack on Hearthome was still fresh on her mind, and Dawn assumed responsibility of finding the culprit all on her own. Logically speaking, there was only one person capable of such destruction and complete disregard for the lives of others. Four years had passed, and it would make perfect sense for him to finally pick up his plans once again. If so, there would only be one person that could help confirm it. Before she left town, however, she had a visit to make.

Walking amongst the stripped, burnt streets of the ruined city, Dawn was able to observe the rebuilding process of a once majestic entertainment hub of the entire region. People were still busy about, worried looks never leaving their faces. She understood that such a catastrophe must had shaken their resolve quite a bit. Things like that didn't happen often, and certainly civilians living in the most advanced and populated place of all Sinnoh would have a good reason to feel safe. Dawn was unaware of the casualty numbers herself, but it must not have been modest. She knew how lucky it must have been to survive, and especially to feel as she did then.

A fifteen minute walk before she arrived at the dingy shack of old. The outer layers of concrete and roof pieces were barely putting itself back together, but light of intense activity could already be seen from inside. The door was only half-way closed, and so Dawn eased in gently. She could see Bebe's feet planted firmly on her uneven desk, legs stretch all the way back to hold the laptop, on which she madly tapped away without a care in the world.

"Morning." Dawn greeted, as the other woman seemed too absorbed in her work to notice a visitor arriving at her door step. "How are you doing?"

"Oh Dawn!" Bebe was apparently ecstatic, enough to pause, set the laptop aside, and give the girl a great embrace. "I'm good. You're good?"

"I'm good." They both grinned. "Where's Eve?"

"Right here." Bebe tapped lightly on her belt, and out came a brown four-legged creature, the fur around its collar and the tip of its tail were silver coloured. It wiggled its pointy ears at the touch of fresh air, and walked around on its feline paws, soaking in the light. "Just got her back too. Scared the hell out of me to think she could've been lost in the last minute transfer."

"Hey," Dawn bent down and extended her reach. The eevee recognised her immediately, and propelled itself onto her open arms, and snuggled up to her cheeks. "You've gained weight."

"Has she?" Asked Bebe, amused. She gave the eevee to Dawn a long time ago, but the girl never intended to train it to participate in battle. When Dawn finished her full team, Eve was returned to Bebe, who had been taking care of it ever since. "When she looks at me with those eyes, I can't say no to her, I guess."

"That makes two of us." Dawn smiled, and petted the eevee. She didn't carry it around long enough to have developed a special bond or anything, but such an adorable creature would always warrant at least some degree of indulgence.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Bebe grabbed her laptop once again, and went back to her seat.

"Finding out who did this." Dawn had the stern tone in her voice not commonly heard. It was her way of letting others know she was serious, and none had doubted her resolve on it before.

"You're bumping head first into danger again, huh?" Bebe sighed. She wasn't one of Dawn's closest friends, but Dawn was definitely one of hers. She knew fully well what the girl was capable of doing, but that also worried her greatly. "You know, you can't do this forever."

"I know." Said Dawn. She returned the eevee, and it rested itself on Bebe's lap. "I'm sorry to drag you into that suicide mission too."

"You saved my life, least I could do is to drive a fire truck into a lake for you." It felt bizarre to joke about such insane things, yet had personally experienced it themselves. "But eventually all of that luck is going to fail, and then who knows what will happen."

Dawn only nodded. She knew it very well. The weight of the things she frequently got herself into made themselves very clear. That time she stepped into the Distortion World, with no gravity under her feet and no sense of directions around pitch black darkness, was one of those times. To this day, nothing had felt quite so troubling.

Soon Dawn departed after some words of goodbye. She climbed onto Toto for the first time in three weeks, and they soared above the city. She headed northeast, for that was where Veilstone city was located. Veilstone didn't hold a lot of special moments for her, not to mention that the giant Team Galactic HQ building was still standing, and that bothered her greatly. Ever since Cyrus' disappearance into the Distortion World and Charon's arrest, the entire group had reorganised their assets into a large corporation concerning themselves with the operation and security of entertainment venues. It sounded legitimate, but she was never one to put a lot of trust into things like this. She would have just shut down the organisation if she had the chance, unfortunately politics and matters of money wasn't something she was well-versed in. It was a hard swallowed loss, but nevertheless nothing seemed to have turned sour since then, so that wound was healed.

She arrived at the city with plenty of time to spare. The entire town was built on cold, hard concrete and facing dead ends from all sides created a very isolated atmosphere. That said, it was still the second largest city in the entire region, with Jubilife basically having fallen off the map. Toto landed right in front of the Galactic Veilstone Building. Its purple, rugged exterior hissed at Dawn with detest. She would return the favour, but then she would be classified as crazy. She had other things that needed to be done.

The city was just as she had remembered it, except perhaps that focus of it all had more firmly shifted towards the constantly growing game corners and subsequent bars that rode its success. A lot of the unemployed migrated here after the downfall of Jubilife, and had taken somewhat of a permanent residence beside the slot machines. Walking inside the once humble game shop, the immense spatial design overwhelmed dawn. The establishment had long since morphed into a casino with the investment capital of Team Galactic, who then was running the place. Arrays of gamblers strutting to and fro as if blissfully aware of them chugging away their own money at every turn. Dawn was not old enough to participate just yet, one of the drawbacks of this place not just being a small game corner any longer, so she had her own way of sneaking in.

Legs tucked, and backpacked held up half way, she stuck to a middle-aged couple by the shoulders. Her feet turned as theirs. Her head swayed against theirs. They walked in without ever realising her presence, but the receptionist was made to fully acknowledge their unwilling companionship.

"Are you sure a single bed is suitable?" Asked the receptionist mid-way through entrance.

"Why not?" The man craned an eyebrow.

"Well, since you'll need a bed for your girl there." The receptionist pointed at their back. As they turned, no one was there. Awkward silence took over for a brief moment. The receptionist took some time to massage between his eyes. "Never mind, let us carry on."

Dawn was already in the middle of the casino floor by this point. She never really understood the draw of gambling, but that was just something she accepted. She had little chance still of finding anyone within this centre though, as she had to pay attention to dodge the patrol and serving girls. The slots of all kinds, blackjack tables, poker stands, and inviting entrances to private shows populated her view, and though she didn't plan to anytime soon, she began to warm up the idea of it all. Pure entertainment, as it went. Another twenty minutes passed, every single one of which she was glad to have been wearing breathing shorts, before her gaze locked firmly on who she was looking for.

In front of a wheel of fortune machine slumped a man. His passing, silver-lined hair was dredged and unwashed; his old, stained, worn-out brown jacket covered his tired body. There were numerous glasses of hard liquor pushed to the side, some half-drank, most empty. He had aged considerably since the last time they met, something Dawn did not expect. She approached, only to see he was barely conscious, a kind of belching smell exuding from his skinny figure.

"Looker?"


	12. Chapter 12

_**A new story (01 - 42) has been published. It has nothing to do with pokemon, but feel free to check it out if Invisible Inc. interests you.**_

* * *

Chapter 12: Batiste

"Who's there?" He slurped, tried his best to lift his head, and failed.

"Looker, what happened to you?" Dawn couldn't help but let out a surprised yelp. Realising she was now drawing attention to herself, she drew closer slowly. It only made him look worse. "How much have you been drinking?"

"Is that you, mother?" Though he's practically an invalid and it would unethical to hate on him for that remake, it still stung Dawn quite a bit. "I'll be back soon, just leave me alone."

"It's me, Dawn." Despite her explanation, he did not appear any more receptive than before. She tried push his shoulders back and forth, but it only caused glasses to fall off the table one by one, which she had to skilfully catch. Out of options, she decided to give him a light smack across the face. He reacted with a heavy groaned. A man this well-built wasn't going to faze with just a twelve year old girl slap.

So she gave him an eighteen year old girl slap instead.

"What?" He bolted up, almost falling over himself backwards. Dawn was able to support him, but just barely. "Oh, it's you."

"What's going on, Looker?" She sat down the chair beside him, purposely swiping away his arms from reach of the wine bottle. Settling him down firmly, she began. "You've always been the type to have a drink or two between cases, but what brought this on?"

"What does anyone care?" His voice was the epitome of the defeated. Dawn had never quite seen anyone like this, let alone a usually up-beat detective like Looker. It was obvious something major had happened, the problem was trying to pry it out of the man. "No one did before."

"I did, detective." Dawn admitted that to herself.

Despite his comical and frankly baffling methods of operation, especially considering how he's supposedly an international peace officer, Dawn had always found his mannerism quite endearing and genuine. One didn't meet many like that, so in spite of the fact that the two of them weren't particularly close, she had always held a kind of odd respect for the man. That makes his current state even more surprising to her.

He did not respond properly, only bulging randomly and swaying his arm back and forth. It was a sad sight to behold, and she made it her personal responsibility to get him home safely. She didn't really know where that would be, but she imagine that once they got out of this place she'll be free to search through his belonging and find their destination. Better yet, he might have sobered up enough to tell her himself at that point.

That said, carrying a man thirty five kilograms heavier than her wasn't an easy task, especially considering her frame. She used to be fairly fit back when she was trotting the streets of dirt and mountainous terrain, but those days were a long time ago. She pull up her back pack, as well as the pokeball holding Azelf. Normally using the psychic pokemon to carry Looker out would be the easiest route, and was what she aimed for. However, with how suspicious it would look, as no one else were aware of the fact that she was just trying to help, and also was underage of all things, discretion needed to be prioritised.

She released Azelf, thankfully light one, into her backpack to keep it out of side. She also cleaned up the trash, glasses and bottles surrounding the detective, and commanded her pokemon to lift him up gently. It complied, and Looker seemed far too out of it to even measure up a decent protest. One foot at a time, she led the limp man outside the casino. A few looks could be seen focusing on him, but since she kept her distance, it just seemed like he was really drunk and planned to crash somewhere outside. Still, this was a pain-staking process, as mimicking human motion without letting people realise that he was actually floating a millimetre or two off the ground was immensely difficult. Not until some fifteen minutes later did they successfully make it out. Looker was led to a bench at the nearby park, which he collapsed onto and hurled putrid substance onto the unsuspecting pavement. Dawn had to turn away at that sight, subsequently returning her pokemon to the belt as well. His getting sick was lengthy and distasteful, but he seemed much better for it. Dawn lightly patted him on the back as he finished, it his eyes began to show signs of life again.

"It usually isn't this bad." First thing he said after regaining some sobriety was an excuse, and that didn't sit well with Dawn. Still, she wasn't in a position to expect too much. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"Why are you drowning yourself like this detective?" As Looker regained some of his composure, she moved to the opposite side of the bench to get a better look at him. He's still scruffy and unkempt as always, only this time smelled intensely of hard liquor and regret, neither of which spelt good news. "Forget long-term liver problems, you could've just died from alcohol poisoning."

"Maybe," he said.

Rubbing his neck, the detective tried to look for something to say. His mind wasn't clear, but he knew it was best for Dawn to at least be informed. After all, she did come all this way, and pulling him out from a drunken stupor was also probably the best thing anyone had done for him in a while. He grabbed at the bottom of his shirt, and lifted it up. Dawn was taken aback by this act, as the first thing she noticed was his bare abdomen, littered with bruises and scars of old, not to mention signs of aging and inflation. However, a second thought revealed to her that he was wearing a pokeball belt, but there was no pokeball to be found.

"What happened to your pokemons?" She was genuinely curious, but from the look of things the story was going to turn out even more depressing that she would have liked.

"Pokemon," he emphasised "singular."

From his back pocket came the wallet. Inside of it held a picture, and Looker handed it to the girl. It was of a boy, a younger, less grinded out version of Looker, and a croagunk. The toad-like creature was waving its three-fingered hand, middle finger was orange and black otherwise, at the camera. The young Looker had his hand wrapped around its white striped mid-section, and was making a silly face, his lower lip digging beneath his front teeth, to mimic the pokemon's silly look.

"He was the only pokemon I ever had." Dawn handed him back the picture. He took a quick look at it, before stashing it away again. She could spot the sting in his eyes. "My best friend, you may say."

"Was?" Dawn understood well the implications of those words, but she just didn't have the stomach for it herself.

"A month ago, I was investigating an on-the-rise villainous organisation." His memories recollected themselves. Dawn could already see the tears building up at the corner of his eyes. "I thought my disguise was impenetrable, but one of the higher-up of the organisation was able to catch me out."

A small pause.

"Do you know who he was?"

"No, I never was able to get it, but I would not forget his appearance for as long as I live." Looker, his fingers intertwined, started to crush on itself. "A young man, he was, shoulder-length, green hair. He also had on this black and white cap."

His voice was starting to tremble, and Dawn figured that was enough.

"You don't have to say it." She spoke with a soft, coaxing tone. "I understand."

"Thank you."

He also nodded. His situation all of a sudden had become far more understandable to Dawn, and it made her question whether this was a good time to request his assistance in her own investigation. After a few minutes of allowing him to wallow in his own suffering, she thought about the way he was dealing with grief up until she showed up, and decided to give him a distraction herself.

"Detective, I understand that this might not be the best time." The both of them knew that was a great understatement, but Looker did not interrupt. "But I need your help on something important."

"I see." Looker was becoming more sober by the minute. The tone in his voice showed it, and she was very thankful. "What about?"

"I don't know if you've heard." There was a chance he didn't as it fell into around the time when he lost his croagunk. "A month or so ago, Hearthome city was attacked. Someone launched a solo full-scale assault upon the city, and it survived by the skin of its teeth."

"I've heard about it, yes." Dawn was glad that he still had a decent grasp on reality.

"Do you have a guess as to who could've been responsible?" She asked.

"The reports weren't very clear on a lot of aspects. What was the pokemons capable of causing such mass destruction remained undiscovered." He took a moment to recall, then turned to the girl. "You, however, are mentioned."

"That's why I'm here," she continued, and Looker leant forward as a sign of attention, "I was a witness to them. One was an ancient, colossal pokemon I'm unaware of, and it was responsible for the destroyed park. The one that started the fire storm was Heatran."


	13. Chapter 13

_**Poverty intensifies.**_

* * *

Chapter 13: Faille

"Heatran." His tired eyes narrowed. Fingers cupping his poorly shaven chin, he searches his pocket. "It means whoever's controlling it must have the Magma Stone."

"The person who I knew was with the Magma Stone last was you, detective." Dawn said, trying to not sound as accusatory as possible. "What happened to it since then?"

"The only thing I did with it was to put it back. I haven't seen in since arresting Charon." Now that's a name Dawn didn't want to hear. Of all the things that she's done, what happened at the haunted mansion would forever be keep her up at night, like it had been for the past month. "Actually, I received news that Charon had recently escape from prison, maybe-"

"It's not him." Said Dawn. Looker stared at her for brief moment.

"Is that so?" There was a hint of doubt in his grouchy voice, but he knew better than not to believe her. What he wanted was how she got a hold of such an information.

"Trust me, Looker, he's not the one we're looking for." She started, then began thinking.

Obviously she had assumed that Charon went for the mansion the minute he escaped from prison, but that was just pure conjecture. She possessed no evidence, physical or otherwise, that would suggest this theory. For all they knew, Charon could have helped whoever it was get a hold of the Magma Stone first, then came the confrontation in the forest.

"What is it?" Looker clearly noticed the hesitation in her thoughts. She did too, but there was little she could do about it. A decision had to be made as to whether she was comfortable with telling him about the incident regarding Charon and his family or not. After a moment of deliberation, it was decided to be kept a secret.

"Just trust me on this one." She selected her words carefully. "I won't say that Charon absolutely had nothing to do with it, but the person who was behind the devastation of Hearthome was not him."

"Alright." Looker nodded.

He did not have the authority or sobriety to demand anything of Dawn at the moment. Instead, he pulled up his phone and made a call. It was to the head of Hearthome city's police department, as well as their progress of investigation regarding the destruction. It didn't turn out much, at least not more than what Dawn, someone who was there first hand, could have told him anyway.

"Anything?" She asked, eager.

"Nothing too helpful." He said, stashing away the phone and pulling out the notebook. There were some notes previously scribbled there about the intricacies of this case, but he hadn't the information Dawn brought then. Perhaps now it could reveal more crucial links to this mystery. "You didn't happen to have caught the looks of whoever was behind it, did you?"

Dawn shook her head. The detective sighed. It was a disappointing, yet expected, result. Things would have been too easy otherwise. He scribbled down something else.

"How do you think we should proceed?" She asked.

"That depends on whether or not you're planning to see this entire investigation through." Dawn pondered. It was a difficult question, since she didn't really have an idea of how long this would take. Furthermore, a few months later the pokemon league was going to open again, and she'd rather have a decent head start. She couldn't consciously admit which one was more important to her, but it was a big decision. "As you can see, I'm somewhat light on the partner side at the moment, and I could certainly use the help."

"I'm on it, Looker." When she thought of his dead pokemon, it was no longer a decision. The recollection of her team will have to wait for quite a bit in order to make time for this, but she wouldn't be set back that much anyway. Despite the years left rotting away, her skills were still good enough to beat most of the gym leaders with ease, once the time comes. What she should worry about was to take care of matters actually vital. "You can count on me."

"Thank you." He sighed in relief, knowing regardless of how Dawn had answered, he'd still have to stake out this case nonetheless, and he would rather not do so alone. With that, he tidied up his clothes in preparation for travel. He didn't do that great a job, but the efforts were acknowledged by his newly acquired companion.

"So where do we go from here?"

"There are three leads we have at the moment." Looker tapped lightly on his notebook, reading from it. "The most concrete lead we have is to trace the trail of the Heatran and the Magma Stone. Hopefully then we can tail whoever's behind this, or at least discover his identity."

"What would be the other ones?"

"We could try and identify the other pokemon you mentioned. If it's really as big and powerful as you described, someone is bound to have seen it somewhere." Unless it's a legendary pokemon, Dawn thought to herself. In fact, that's probably the more likely scenario. She'd like to think there wasn't any she was not aware of, but wishful thinking never got her anywhere. "The last lead, and this is indeed quite a bit of a stretch, would be to find the person who we think is most likely to be the culprit."

"That'd be Cyrus, wouldn't it?" Dawn hadn't seen the Team Galactic's old boss since leaving him in the depth of the Distortion World, but nothing to say he couldn't have gotten out already. After all, since Giratina's absence, there really wasn't anything keeping him there except for his own brooding.

"Indeed." Looker confirmed. "So where do you say we head to first."

"Well, the first option is the only one with any concrete basis." Dawn gave herself a pause to recollect things she should have long forgotten. "To Stark Mountain, then."

"Very well." Looker began to walk away, before Dawn realised he was trying to lead her off. "Come, we'll take my car."

She was about to make a protest, before realising that they had no appropriate vehicle, pokemon or mechanical, to substantiate air travel. Walking absurdly long distance hasn't been something she enjoyed for a really long time, so there wasn't really much of a choice but to use Looker's car. The problem was, with the way the detective himself had been looking, what kind of state his ride would be in.

Presently, she stood in front of his garage. The overall house was a lot more well-built and high-class than she had previously expected. Four stories, featuring what looked like a sun roof, decent green foliage, and enough backyard space to fit a pool, it would have been what Dawn's house looked like had her mother cared about architecture, not pokemon contest. Truth be told, as he wore his scruffy overcoat, high leather boots and suit around all the time, it was hard for her to really envision him as anyone who had successfully moved to the twenty first century yet. That said, he had always been a master of disguise, so perhaps even that gumshoe getup was a disguise of its own. Perhaps he had always been a genius and she just failed to notice it.

That line of thought ended when his garage door raised to reveal what could only be described as a 1970s sports car. Hood slumped with headlights poking upward, its mild-yellow sedan look perhaps aged the car an additional forty some years. Worse yet, there seemed to be a generous excess of grimes and scratches basically painting the car exterior, and a unidentifiable dark cherry coloured substance splattered across the lower part of the loose-hinged, window-cracked right car door.

"Come on, we've no time to waste." Urged Looker as he entered through the, naturally, left car door.

"Are you sure you don't want some rest first." No amount of ladylike courtesy could prevent Dawn from expressing her disdain as her eyes peered across the funky piece of old machinery. She cautiously swipes her finger at the previously unidentifiable substance, and successfully identified it as dried blood. "Maybe give this car a little tune up in the auto?"

"Nonsense, the old girls' good as new." Somehow, Dawn seriously doubted that. Looker gave the thing a confident tap on the steering wheel, and the only thing that came out was a grating, winding noise from under the hood.

"If you say so." Dawn held the handle of the right door, only to realise that it might as well had been removed from the frame altogether. She could do nothing but display a nervous look.

"Oh, hold on, let me get that for you." Looker grabbed a handle from the inner side of the door and twisted it to let the window down. Dawn held the now open space and wrestled the thing open. It did. "Pardon me, I'm usually the only one being in the car."

"I can tell." At the very least, she thought, the front passenger seat seemed clean enough. There were minor blemishes on the leather seating, as well as conspicuous dark spots that looked like cigarette stains, but on the whole it wasn't that big a deal. The interior in general was a lot less messy or dirty than the outside would lead one to believe. "How long do you reckon until we get there?"

"Maybe twelve or so hours." Looker turned the keys. The engine whined once again. "Maybe fifteen."

Dawn screamed internally.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Whoops**_

* * *

Chapter 14: Organdie

Stark Mountain had always been a curious case. Being a burning, fully active volcano would usually cause quite a bit of fuss and concerns. However, not having erupted for some odd fifty years was enough for people to forget about the risk it posed. Pokemons of all kinds populate the deepest trenches underneath layers of ash, and just like that trainers followed suit. No perceived danger could be seen, and that was good enough for people.

Looker pushed aside the heavy, rocky gate fixture. The place was unofficially sealed during Charon's arrest all those years ago, and nothing indicated it had been moved since then. It was not the only entrance to the deeper parts of the mountain, but certainly the most convenient. The rough, burning inner texture of the caves, flaming, open pits of molten lava, and maze-like structure of paths was just as Dawn had remembered. Still she didn't really like coming back here, regardless of how many hours she had spent on this never-ending trail. Memories of days lost trying to find her way around the place was hardly pleasant.

Looker, on the other hand, seemed quite comfortable with the interior and navigation. She figured it was because he was intimately familiar with the inner workings of this carving system, and wouldn't be surprised if her guess were true. Even then, she still had a general idea of where they were headed. The hard part was not the climbing to the top, but to get to the deepest reaches. For whatever reason, they faced no wandering trainers along the way, and the concentration of wild pokemon seemed quite a bit more lax as well. She didn't know what to make of it, but signs usually don't point to positives.

"Here it is." Said Looker. Using all his strength, more than a matter of pride than anything else, he removed the big boulder blocking a two metre high entrance into the dark. Dawn took one of the nearby torches from the wall and carried it with her as they both stepped inside. "Or was."

Naturally, this chamber was then empty. The peculiar rock arrangement in the middle end of the room was still there, warping into a circular pattern with a bow-like extension close to the entrance. There was nothing of note, and that was exactly what was worrying them.

"So no Heatran, as expected. No Magma Stone either." Looker cupped his chin, and delved into his own thoughts. Dawn, torch still in hand, did a quick look around the walls, but unable to find anything that could constitute a clue. For a place that housed the molten storm pokemon for so long, it looked very much un-burnt, and perhaps even prosperous, as much as the core of volcano could be. One may say that it had been this way for a while now.

"What do we do?" She asked.

"Someone had to have come here to get Heatran, maybe he was seen. Witnesses are probably best."

They both exited the chamber and peered about. The place had always been sparse regarding population, but this was an entirely new level of deserted. Something must have happened here without them knowing, they thought.

"The Survival Area is not far from here." Dawn's focus was greatly divided. Although nothing she had seen here was too unexpected, it reminded her of how much things had really changed since the last time she was on the road. Perhaps it was the off-season that brought about the lack of activities, but something just didn't sit quite right with her.

With nothing else on hand, they left the inner mountain in silence. It was not until they were back out on the wet grass fields that Dawn spotted another human. Buck stood there with his ridiculous bundled hen-end hairdo and flaming split-neck T-shirt. The smug smirk sat squarely on his face as he sat on top the trunk of Looker's car.

"You're back!" He said, hands vigorously rubbing against each other in anticipation. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"I have so many questions." Dawn wore a sardonic frown. "First, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I come here all the time." Buck pads his chest in pride. "It's practically my second home."

"Right." Those words came out of her long and drawn.

"Buck?" Looker only now managed to escape the inner mountains. He was surprised, understandably. He also didn't seem to be too appreciative of someone sitting on his car, but kept quiet on that front.

"Hey Looker, you're here too." Buck greeted him just a little less fondly, and gave the vehicle beneath him a few knocks. "Guess that explains the car."

"What do you want, Buck?" She crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I challenge you to a battle." Buck, with raging, metaphorical fire in his eyes, sparked up a match. It burst into real, concentrated flames contained within his palms. This came as no surprise as he descended from a family of fire manipulators, but he always gave people cause to question his too liberal usage of it.

"I don't have time for this." Dawn snarled with annoyance. It was hard to say she was ever fond of the boy. Perhaps it was his yellow-striped orange hair, or that he was Flint's brother. Either way, she didn't view him as someone pleasant to look at nor talk to, and this turn of events only hoped to reinforce that prejudice.

"I see you have the trainer belt on you, it makes you a trainer!" Buck was not backing off a single step. "You have to accept."

"Hold up here a bit you two." Looker stepped in the middle of them right when it seemed like Dawn was about to utter very nasty words in reaction. "Buck, do you know what happened to the Magma Stone? I gave it to you the last time so that you could put it back."

"Yeah, I did just that." This deviation of the topic had the boy interested. After all, it reminded him of a very bitter defeat under the hands of Charon all those years back. "Heatran is gone, and someone has the Magma Stone." This news seemed to have completely caught Buck off guard. "Whoever did it had recently caused quite a disaster, and we're here looking for clues."

"I guess that would explain the strange changes ecosystem that had been taking place around the mountains lately." Buck subtly confirmed Dawn's previous observations. If she were more correct, it'd mean that the pokemons here aren't used to it, which would explain the limited population of them. Buck seemed even more concerned than she was. "This can't be good."

"When did you start noticing the changes?" Looker continued.

"A month or two back, I say." Said Buck. "I didn't think too much of it at first, but I knew something was off when the pokemons stopped being as active, and then the trainers stopped coming."

"Do you have an idea of who could've been responsible?"

Buck took a long breath and started thinking. It was a mystery what went on in his head, but the kind of expression he gave off trying to exercise mental prowess was definitely something he was not personally aware of, else he would have never let others see it.

"I think I may." He said, after some minutes of self-deliberation. At this point Dawn had calmed down sufficiently, and was simply awaiting an answer. She had to surrender to the fact that all things considered Buck was an incredibly active person around these parts, and he could be of immense help given the chance. "But I want something in return."

"Are you serious?" Not another moment passed before Dawn's patience was tested yet again.

"Wait, hear me out, give me a battle." He said, arms on his biceps. Even the flames on his hand had snuffed out at this point. "If you win, I'll tell you, no questions asked."

"And if not?" Dawn crossed her arms. A part of her already knew that it was going to get to this point. The purpose, however, escapes her.

"I'll tell you anyway." She craned an eyebrow. "In return, you'll have to be my Battle Frontier partner!"

"Is that it?" Dawn asked. Buck responded with a proud nod. "This isn't an elaborate attempt to ask me on a date, is it?"

"Maybe!" He responded again, just as quickly and just as proudly.

"Should have asked me half a year ago." Dawn reached for her belt as the two took to the side, taking the forest clearing in front of the mountain's south east entrance as the battle ground. "I would have probably just said yes out of self-pity."

"Never too late I bet." Dawn had to concede that he had the right attitude. She wasn't interested, but at least the whole thing won't be as awkward as it could have been, and that's a plus enough for her.

"You'd lose that bet."


	15. Chapter 15

_**404**_

* * *

Chapter 15: Calico

"Guess there's no way out of this." Looker sighed and took a step away, his back against the wall. Cigarette in his mouth, he made himself comfortable to watch the battle of the youngsters, and the curse of all-age instant infatuations.

"Let's do this!" One had to admire Buck's ability to transfer his enthusiasm into words. The cadence was sublime, and Dawn had little choice but to smile at it. It was nostalgia if nothing else.

The battle started with Buck evicting his umbreon from its primeval lodging, where it appeared to have slept for some hours. Its four lax, slender limbs stretched with a lack of exercise. The pair of long, bushy ears, looking almost exactly like its tail, wriggled in the wind and soaked in the liberation. It almost didn't feel like fighting, Dawn thought. That was until the feline pokemon opened its sharp, ruby eyes, radiating the night energy from its dark body, embroidered with a strand of alien, yellow bands. She should have known not to disrespect an opponent before the match had even begun.

Reaching for the belt, worn a couple of degrees tilted by the hips, came the empoleon. The ice bird strained its black and blue wings in intimidation, as the golden crown on its forehead glowed deep auburn. It was more than ready for a fight after so long, and Dawn was sure she was ready herself. After all, she had a clear advantage in this matchup. Nothing this umbreon was capable of doing would be able to touch her Pipi, and she was sure Buck was aware of that fact too.

"Surf," she bellowed.

First contact was marked as the empoleon, with its superiority in speed, had the upper hand. Taking a step back, an intense stream of water flowed from its hidden beak, propelling itself at the black feline. This attack, due to the Life Orb boost, dealt a bit of recoil damage, but nothing quite noticeable. To Dawn's surprise, however, Buck seemed to have no intention of withdrawing from an obviously lost battle. As the gush of liquid hit its target, the umbreon simply shrugged off the damage. This was expected, as she was relying more on the opponent pokemon unable to hit back, rather than her own pokemon overpowering through speed and strength. Recovering its stance, no doubt with the aid of a held item, the feline creature channelled its dark energy and emitted a dense, impenetrable fog around Pipi. This did no obvious damage, but it caused a panic in the opponent regardless. When they least expected it, a single muddled, crazed eyeball imprinted itself upon the penguin pokemon, causing it to momentarily stagger. Still no damage was dealt, but it was visibly shaken.

Dawn couldn't tell what kind of strategy she was facing against, but there was nothing else to do but continue with her predetermined line of attack, now that her pokemon was stranded on the battlefield. Another tidal wave was bursting toward the black feline, another bit of recoil. Though it was not dealing more damage than the first, Dawn was confident that another two would be just good enough for her to get her way. That was until the enemy shaped up and breathed a suspicious yawn, in the form of a grey cloud, at Pipi, causing it to catch onto the yawning as well. This was not good, she thought, as she simply did not have the means of preparations to get out of this unfortunate situation.

Empoleon wound up for what she knew was going to be its last attack, and practically flinging itself backward for a last tornado current. This one didn't manage to finish off the umbreon, but it was extremely close. Its legs were weak, and so was its breathing. However, for this was the opportunistic moment Buck was waiting.

"Tap out, Umbreon." That was his creative naming capacity.

The black feline evaporated into a cloud of smoke, leaving behind what looked like a red baton and returned to his pokeball. Another pokemon came about to take its place. Heavy in its aura and in its actions, the dusknoir floated into sight to claim the baton left by its teammates. Its crimson, single eye stared down at the field menacingly while its massive leathered hands and body exuded great malevolence. At this point, Pipi had already succumbed to the effect of umbreon's parting gift and was forced asleep. However, the fog had not yet lifted, preventing Dawn from salvaging the situation by recalling her own pokemon, so Pipi would have little choice but be left out to dry for a beating.

As Buck now had free rein on the playing field for a while, he can do whatever he wants. The dusknoir extends its grey, yellow banded arms, a matrix of reality appeared, covering the entire battlefield like a transparent cube. This is Trick Room, Dawn noted, but bitter inside as there was nothing she could do. The only real pragmatic choice of action would be to ponder on what to follow up. The dusknoir, uninterrupted in its series of setups, set down yet another field effect. This time it sets to unearth the entire scene, undo gravity, and cause a disruption in space, but only temporarily. Presently, it creates an even stronger gravity field, polarised onto the pokemon itself. With that and its own Life Orb, it unleashed its own earthquake and easily dispatched the sleeping opponent. Dawn winced at this turn of events, as her pokemon flew back to her belt.

The situation was getting dire. She, in her lost in pride, had completely forgotten that her team was still incomplete. Buck, on the other hand, still had all six pokemons available. They might not be all on the healthiest of states, but the sheer number could be able to trade out hers one by one. That said, she had to deal with this dusknoir first. Dawn decided it was Azelf's turn. The grey pokemon arrived at the arena, only to be immediately strapped down by the intense gravity exerted in the field, rendering its ability to levitate completely useless. Dawn had a plan, however, and it wasn't going to work without taking quite a few risks, especially if she was this far behind.

"Psychic," Dawn commands.

The azure fairy spun off leash. A violet balefire burst from its forehead jewel. However, as the projectile was in the air, a shadow, malicious in intent, crept up right beneath Azelf. The shadow transformed into a giant closed fist and clutched the unsuspecting victim, before throwing it to the ground, severely hurt. Still, the original attack connected, also doing a significant amount of damage to the floating ghost. As both took a moment to recover, Dawn stared at the battlefield. The matrix set up by dusknoir earlier wasn't going to stick around for too much longer, and that's her ticket.

Presently, the dusknoir extended its massive gloves once again. The ground trembles, unleashing a ripple of quakes many magnitudes higher toward Azelf. Dawn had foreseen this, however, and ordered her pokemon to protect itself with a barrier of light, neglecting all damage. At this point, the striped, transparent cube had completely faded away, returning battle priorities to its normal state. Her Azelf was much faster, so an attack here would seal the win. That said, the dusknoir's Sucker Punch would always take urgency to the enemy's attack, and her pokemon could not withstand another hit.

Dawn and Buck stared at each other, both completely aware of the situation. If Azelf attacked and gets caught off guard, Dawn would have all but lose this fight. If, however, she elected not to order such a command, the Sucker Punch will fail, and dusknoir can't keep doing that. Buck clutched his fist, trying his best to read the opponent. Dawn, however, cannot read his expressions at all. They hadn't at all wavered since the start of this fight, and that fact didn't look like it was going to change anytime soon. This standoff lasted for precisely twenty seconds before both the pokemon acted. Dusknoir extended its massive arms once more, causing tremors across the earth. Before those could do any damage, the psychic beam was already all the way across. It struck the ghost in great haste, disabling from being able to finish its attack. Azelf, by all accounts, was safe.

"All that spunk." Buck took back his fainted fighter, preparing for the continuation.

"Dirty," she quipped. It was so unexpected it left him dumbfounded for a solid minute. "Don't tell me you're finished already."

"Far from it." The air of assurance returned to his face soon enough.

"Wait!" Both of them turned to Looker the interrupter, who was holding his flip phone to his cheeks. He seemed rushed, despite not having moved anywhere for the last fifteen minutes or so. "We have reports of extremely volatile activity in Sendoff Spring."

"Is it Heatran?" they both asked.

"There doesn't seem to be any fire or earthquakes." Looker was relaying information as it was being reported. Buck was unaware of the relevance of the earthquake, but Dawn seemed quite agitated. "Just a large amount of condensed dark energy, nothing we've seen before since..."

"Since?" Dawn urged.

"Since Spear Pillar."

Dawn narrowed her eyes in deep thought. Everyone had already forgotten about the ongoing battle in light of this news. It took her a good minute to piece everything together, but she could start to feel the sweat, unlike any amount she'd experienced thus far for quite a few years, dripping down her cheeks and shivering back.

"Sorry, Buck, another time." With that, and not a single word more, she withdrew Azelf. Togekiss appeared quickly beside her from a flash of light, and she was gone with the wind.


	16. Chapter 16

**_melting_**

* * *

Chapter 16: Serge

Sendoff Spring had always been a place kept frequently a secret to most. Only those with intimate experience regarding the spirits of pokemons were even aware of its existence. Even fewer had actually been here. It was protected by an impressive array of hills on all sides. This created a crater formation in the middle, which housed a small shoreline and simultaneously a cave entrance. Turnback Cave was its name, and no one had ever entered it. Only two people have ever stepped out of it. One swore to its protection, the other was returning.

Dawn could feel her blood pumping. Aside from very bad memories, she realised there was little she could do even if she were to reach it in time. Her full team hadn't even been reassembled yet, and half of them were severely weakened already. There was no time to call for help, and even with Looker calling for reinforcements there was a good chance none of them would get past the terrain. He probably knew nothing about this place as well, all of its mysteries were never revealed to just a commoner. She got there by accident.

Presently, said mountains stood before her. They were aligned like a volcano top, if it was water instead of lava, and several times more massive. Unlike most would think, looking at the trees growing at the top, it was impossible to fly over. Dawn couldn't explain why, but her pokemons simply refused to. The only way to do it was to climb the immense height. Empoleon, weak and feeble, was released from its pokeball. Dawn held in her hand a pink spray bottle, and applied the disinfecting liquid onto her pokemon. Pipi winced at the contact, but quieted down soon as its strength began to returning. After a couple of moments to recuperate, it chirped enthusiastically at Dawn. She smiled back, and held on to its thick, metallic wings.

With a single motion, those short stubby legs scaled the rocky surface. It was a sight to behold, as Dawn and her pokemon raced to the mountain top with vigour unmatched and efforts unsightly. In record time, Dawn found herself straight on the scaly mountain top, looking down toward the cave entrance. There, she spotted a slumped silhouette. Her mind automatically made an assumption, as Cynthia was usually the person guarding the Turnback cave. Upon some closer observation she was forced to abandon said guess, for that was not a woman's figure, nor was the hair blonde.

Dawn shook her head, and decided that unless she did something this wasn't going to end well. What intrigued her was how there was not the 'dark energy activity' Looker was talking about, as the place seemed fairly at peace. Withdrawing the steel penguin, togekiss was called upon once again to carry her down to the small patch of land on the opposite end. Whoever that was clearly noticed her presence, but there was no sign of retaliation.

As she approached, it was becoming all too clear who it was. His spiky blue hair, though now with many more grey spots, was not something she could ever really forget. His old team Galactic jacket was nowhere to be found, and it was just the black, striped overalls hugging his malnourished body. His eyes stared at her, both in disgust and rage, as they plunged a little deeper into the hollow sockets.

"Cyrus." It was less of a greeting and more of an affirmation. Dawn peered at him, noting how his left arm seemed to be bleeding, and he was standing only on one leg. The other was practically being dragged off the ground in an attempt to stay up. His clothes had scratches and bruises everywhere she looked, but these looked much older than the fresh wounds. There must have been a fierce battle here recently. "So you've escaped."

"You caught me once again, child." His condescending tone had not changed, but he was obviously gasping for air. Whatever had happened here before Dawn arrived must have shaken him up significantly, as she sensed no murderous intent from him, aside from the anger. "I would like to repay you for my defeat, but as you can see I'm not in the best of positions."

"I'm not letting you get away this time, Cyrus." She was ready for another battle. Although her team was spent, from the looks of things the team Galactic's ex-leader didn't look like he had much left in him either. She could certainly take this fight, and if anything just long enough so that help may arrive.

"I'm not delusional enough to think I can take you like this." He frowned, but she knew it was not because he was displeased. Cyrus only frowned when he was about to win, or was sure he was going to get what he wanted. "Let me show you something first."

Before Dawn could get a word in, a light tap on the belt released one of Cyrus' pokemon. An intense cloud of dark smoke emerged, as she felt the air around her darkened greatly. This darkness soon began to take form. Claws ripped itself from the shadow, and followed them were the black arms, razor-like patterns appeared at the shoulder end. Swirling, dark tatters sprung wildly from the shoulders, as they connected to form the pitch-black, slender torso. A pair of cyan eyes arose, paving way for white fog to spun into existence, and shaped a ghastly plume atop the head.

Dakrai's appearance seemed to have stopped time itself, and it very much gave Dawn the retched feelings when she first saw it all those years back. The problem was she thought she had driven it away for good, but somehow it ended up in the hand of Cyrus, the most dangerous man now back in Sinnoh.

"Why is Darkrai with you?" Dawn took a step back, her hand on her hip, preparing for a breakout battle. Cyrus, however, didn't appear to be interested in anything but talking.

"This marvellous pokemon is attracted to nightmares. The stronger the nightmare, the more it craves." He now held a smirk, of which Dawn could not make anything. "If you spent as much time as I did in the Distortion World, your nightmares become unmatched."

"Be that as it may," replied Dawn. "It doesn't intimidate me enough to not want to catch you."

"It wasn't for that." The shadow pokemon retreated slowly, and floated next to him. "It was to stall for time."

"Stall?" Dawn narrowed her eyes. She had little idea of what Cyrus was talking about. If anything, time was on her side.

"Every moment you're out here is a moment where the Distortion World is left unattended." The frown had returned to his face, and that made Dawn gulp. He pointed to the cave. "If you're wondering why there wasn't anyone else here but me, that'd be because your friend is in there."

"My friend?" It took her a moment, but she soon realised who he was talking about. She inadvertently snapped her head toward that entrance. "Did you push her in there?"

"Oh yes," said Cyrus. "I managed to get the jump on her as I escaped. It was a hard battle still, but I came out very much on top."

Dawn was then faced with a dire choice. She could either risk Cynthia's well-being within the netherworld in order to capture Cyrus, or she abandoned this position and let him go. She finally understood him. He had won.

Even then, Cyrus didn't have much of a chance to express his satisfaction. He expected the process to be an agonising one, where whatever happened at this end he would be able to proclaim victory, one way or another. Instead, it was nothing but an instance. Dawn was no longer there to entertain him, and disappeared into the cave.

She rummaged about the stone structure, completely ignoring the fact that he would surely have escaped by now. Turnback cave was her biggest priority at the moment, and she had to find the portal as soon as possible. Everything she learnt about this place had to be reversed. The pillar was no longer her goal, but to get as far away from it as possible. Every room she entered lead to three others, and where to go was entirely determined on the pattern of rocks changing on each room. The kind of power happening here she could not understand, but logic was on her side. It only took her a few minutes of running before arriving at the portal room. From this side she could almost feel the immense florid atmosphere, threatening to suffocate anyone who even dare stepped inside. Not once did she ever consider the possibility that Cyrus lied to her, and that this was just a trick he pulled to escape. No, her guts told her he was telling the truth. There was something on the other side that was calling for her, and she could not help but heed that summon.

Shaking her head, Dawn ran at the portal with a distinct lack of grace.


	17. Chapter 17

_**idk**_

* * *

Chapter 17: Moquette

Dawn peered about, as the air of dread crept into every orifices.. Things were as she remembered, not that it was possible to forgot a place like this. Rock platforms floated all around her, as if hanging from an invisible wall, coming from all the most impossible angles and gravity. Periodically, there would be a pebble thrown out of the vacuum of its own weight, and then rolled into deep space. Of course, from where she was standing, it would roll immediately upward. The space here was submerged in manic lavender, with lightless, swirling vortex at the bottom. Since gravity did not follow common sense in this realm, every direction could, and would be the bottom. She was here once, years ago, for thirty minutes. When she emerged from the Sendoff Spring, three days had passed. It only meant that whatever she was here to do had to be done fast. She wouldn't be so conceited as to say the world would crumble without her being there, had it not already happened before. Back then, she had people who could actually help.

This train of thought ended as Dawn snapped to attention, only to realise she had been moving instinctively through these platforms. They didn't look particularly safe when you're near them, trying to get them to come at you at just the right horizontal distance. As she jumped to the left, her centre of gravity was wrought and pinned down to the closest mass of rocks. There were still many coming at her from all possible directions, and even the impossible ones. That was when she recalled yet more of her previous experience with this horrible place. It was a maze without an end, as the dimensions twisted and bent into existence every time she took a step. She couldn't have made it alone back then, and now looking through things, she didn't feel confident she could do so this time either.

She decided to take a moment and observe her surroundings, and focused on where she could possibly go. There were trees, auburn and willowy, growing out of those platforms, waterfalls running straight across her horizon, and moons of all colours at the back of each one. The only thing this exercise managed to prove was that she would get lost regardless of what happened, which meant she had one choice.

"Azelf." The pokeball was popped, and the blue fairy pokemon arose from deep slumber. The instant its consciousness became aware of the situation, it yelped squeamishly. It wasn't everyday occurrence for any to be back here. It turned to look at its trainer.

"Is there anyone else in here?" Only when Dawn asked this question did it occur to her to have done so the moment she entered. Whichever way, it was too late to regret anything now. The pokemon groaned in protest, but the desperate look in her eyes convinced it to try its best. It settled down on the cold, muddied ground, and began to meditate. The jewel on its forehead grew quick in intensity and shine like radar, sending pulses of energy back and forth through what in this world were visible waves. Presently, this stopped.

"Have you found something?" It was easy to spot the urgency in her voice. The pokemon flew up, its psychic power temporarily protecting it from the ever-shifting gravity fields. Its small fingers point downward, straight downward. Dawn had a momentarily internal debate as to whether she truly understood what it meant. The lightning vortexes at the bottom of space didn't look like a place to go. It then occurred to her that if someone were to be brought here through force and let fallen to the cracks, that would be exactly where they would end up. However, that didn't answer the question of whether they were even saveable or not, and whether Dawn would just be throwing her life away chasing after them.

The snap decision was made. Dawn withdrew Azelf back into its pokeball, and drop herself straight down into the void. The question of how was falling through space possible without gravity was one to which she held no answer. The only thing she knew was that she was gaining speed, and the set of platforms she was on looked further and further away with every second. It looked to her that her descend could only be slowed down once she had hit the vortex enwrapping this entire place, and she was getting dangerously close to it. The quicker she fell, the harsher the vortex's light came from below. It was time, and she closed her eyes to brace for impact.

When she opened them, she was no longer falling. In fact, her body was ascending through the atmosphere. Baffled, she looked up to see a set of platforms. These were distinctly different from those she fell from. The weightlessness of it all caught her off guard, and her joints were so stiff in comparison that her limbs seemed to move up individually. Soon enough, she landed on the bottom of a platform. As this is the Distortion World, said bottom quickly became the top, and she could move about again.

Across the endless chasm, she saw a small, moving white figure behind a cover of trees. Dawn narrowed her eyes, to see its wings flapping helplessly, and its avian body struggling to gain speed. It was a togekiss, much similar to hers, but it wasn't alone. It had in its mouth a sleeve, which was also connected to an arm. That, however, was all Dawn could see. She began making her way over, before a pulse of terror and trepidation coursed through her veins. It was all too familiar, and signalled the coming of the ruler of this world. That only meant she had to hurry up. However, the terrain was only making it as difficult as possible. From beneath, an illustrious shadow orb had begun to ascend at a rapid pace. Soon, its presence engulfed the struggling togekiss. Ghastly streamers sprouted from the centre, and soon the serpentine body can be seen forming out of thin air. When the golden spikes and crown emerged into Giratina's Origin form, Dawn knew it was too late.

"Stop!" She could not have been quicker, but it wasn't enough. The ghost dragon unleashed a mauve beam of hellfire that utterly overwhelmed the togekiss' position. The trees were floored on contact, and Dawn could only watch helplessly as the white pokemon drop its trainer's arm and flew straight up to the beam in a feeble attempt to deflect it. Dawn threw her right hand forward, clutching the purple pokeball. Giratina growled in dissatisfaction, as the pull of the device became to much for it. In a moment, it returned to Dawn's master ball. She was cursing herself for letting it loose here, but not stopping for a moment. Azelf was released again to catch the falling togekiss, which had taken the brunt of the attack. They all landed on the platform where the trees, now halfway disintegrated, once populated. The togekiss had bruises all over, its eyes were closed and its wings clipped. Dawn pulled out of octahedron from her backpack, and tried to feed it, but it simply wasn't responding. The reality of the situation came to her only a moment later, as her arms slumped in defeat and her tears started to build. The poor pokemon's fate was no longer hers to decide, and she was simply too late.

Azelf tugged her on the sleeve, and pointed her the other way. Dawn was then reminded of the togekiss' trainer, and hastily turned around. She only wasted a moment to look before sprinting toward the feeble body. Hurriedly checking the pulse, she breathed a sigh of relief to find out that Cynthia was still, in fact, alive.

The woman was simply unconscious. There were numerous injures on the skin, a few joints didn't look like it bended right, and the clothing was in tatters. That lustrous blonde hair spread across the ground and burn marks could be seen at the end of the hair locks. She had a cut on the side of her naked arm, running from her mid-shoulder to her upper wrist. The bleeding had stopped, but Dawn still winced. Reaching for Cynthia's hips, Dawn took an empty pokeball, and recalled togekiss. It didn't make a sound, and will not again. She put it back in the woman's arms, and embraced the limp body.

"I'm sorry."

…

With Giratina back under her control, it didn't take long for Dawn to escape from the Distortion World and back into the cave network. She was insanely tired, yet insisted on carrying Cynthia out by herself instead of relying on her pokemons' help. It only made her more exhausted with every step. It was a long and quite road from the deepest chambers back to the Sendoff Spring entrance, but Dawn would much rather be alone. As she had expected, Cyrus had long since fled the area. However, she did not foresee a police taskforce waiting for her at the entrance.

"Dawn!" Looker was the first and only face she recognised. Paramedics swarmed in to remove Cynthia from her grasp, and she couldn't speak a single word of protest. "Are you alright? It's been four days since you disappeared. We feared the worst."

She didn't answer, and ignore the fact that people were swarming her for questions. She looked at the sky above, now dark but filled with stars. She knew she was fine, at least physically. She also knew that releasing Giratina back into the wild was a decision that she had made, and she bore all responsibilities for it. As the blonde woman was carried off to the hospital, Dawn couldn't begin to think of what to say when they'll eventually face each other again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Lantana

"Any updates on the team Galactic's front?" she asked.

"Not one. They seemed to have no clue what we're talking about." Looker's voice sounded like piercing needles to her. Then again, everything sounded like that.

"Well they could always be hiding it," she affirmed.

"I know. I'll keep an eye on them," he continued, but no reply, "take care of yourself."

Dawn flipped off the phone. She didn't mean to do it so hastily, but no one would after actually thinking things through. It had been another day since her emergence from Sendoff Spring, and that meant Cyrus had four whole days to go wherever he wanted. Worse yet, Cynthia still hadn't woken up yet, and that made Dawn entirely too unsure of how she was going to defeat team Galactic's old boss were she to catch up to him. Even with Giratina back, Dawn didn't feel the confidence that she should. Cyrus, in the physical condition he was in after escaping from the Distortion World, still gave out a kind of terrifying aura he didn't have before. Perhaps it was Darkrai, perhaps it was the malice of the situation. Furthermore, the mysterious villain who caused the destruction of Hearthome was still on the loose, and there was no telling what would happen should these two get air of each other. Dawn had to take care of this either way, and she'd rather not have both of them on hand at once.

She sat there on the rocks, both figuratively and literally twiddling her thumbs. She had a pebble between those fingers, quickly throwing it into the air only catch it again. It rolled between the gaps of her fingers like a plastic toy, and the rough texture only added to the endurance. The array of canopies lining up rows after rows before her used to exude an intimidating presence a long time ago, when she was still young and without care. These trees used to look like they were staring at her, though sometimes she was still convinced they were. It was her priorities that changed. She was doing dangerous things, and no doubt someone was going to get hurt at the end of the day through sheer force of destruction or will. Compared to the kind she had seen, these trees no longer seemed so intimidating.

Someone needed to stop these villains, to be this responsible champion, to collect data on all of these pokemons. At some point, she knew she didn't have what it takes. She at least didn't want to do it alone, but there was no one else.

Dawn threw the pebble. It hit a nearby tree trunk and bounced off. She looked at it intently, as if expecting it to turn and tell her off on all the abuse.

It didn't.

Dawn sighed. She didn't want to move from here. Everything she had done seemed to have resulted in nothing but utter failure with consequences far beyond anything she could have predicted. All these loose ends she had thought tied up years ago coming back to haunt her with great vigour. Who was to say if she were to try again, everything wouldn't come crashing down even worse than before? No one would probably be the only answer, or the only answer she'd accept.

Her phone rings. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?" Dawn's tone was the most nonchalant possible.

"Dawn," an unexpected voice, though she recognised it immediately. "Can we please talk?" The way the word 'please' was uttered made Dawn wince.

"Yes," a pause, "I'll be right there."

Another hasty hang-up, but it was deliberate this time. Dawn had thought to extensively lengths about what to say when this conversation inevitably came, but she never could decide. Yet, it was the only thing she felt compelled to do.

…

The port of Canalave City had always been very quiet during this time of year. Blank, peaceful carriers sat idle by the harbour, resting in preparation for another fishing season within the next couple of months. Repairs and private boaters could be seen loitering around the area, thought kept away by stern-faced sailors guarding their cargoes from thieves and unwanted onlookers alike. The hospital was stationed near the cliff's edge of the city, built with fresh air and the nature in mind, but had plenty of other implications.

Dawn walked across the fourth floor hallway, feet animatedly yet unknowingly shuffling with every step. She could start nibbling on her fingernails if she thought it would help, but it wouldn't. She also noted how often she had been visiting human hospitals over the past couple of months. It only signified how things were becoming riskier, and there was definitely still a fear at the back of her mind. Presently, she arrived, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Dawn did just that. She entered to find Cynthia on the hospital bed, although a lot more conscious than the last time they've met. The blonde woman, backs to the bed front bed case, was holding a small book and a pencil. Those eyes, on the other hand, followed Dawn every step of the way. They were neither of grief nor indifference, but understanding. Dawn couldn't admit to not have expected such, but she felt a lot less shaken now. She took a seat on the bedside, and settled in.

"Good morning." Dawn's sheepish greeting urged a mild smile on the woman's face.

"You look troubled." Cynthia put away the things she were holding and crossed her hands in anticipation. "What's bothering you?"

"I," a pause. Dawn peered at the woman momentarily. There were bandages wrapped underneath that lustrous blonde hair. The locks seemed to have been trimmed as well, to compensate for the burnt rear end, and were shorter now, though not by a lot. There should be other injuries as well, but the bed sheets made a good covering. "I've just been trying to figure out what to do."

"Is it pressure," Cynthia held out her right hand, "or fear?" She held out her left one.

"Both," Dawn replied. "I don't know if I can do it, with everything that has already gone horribly wrong. What if I failed again?" She was almost in tears. "For years I resented this. The moment I decided to step outside again this happens."

"You're blaming yourself for this?" asked Cynthia.

"Should I not?" The sound of struggle could be heard in the girl's voice."

"You might not have realised it, but it is precisely because of you that these things are happening." Dawn stared wide-eyed at the woman. Nothing like this had been expected. "These events are not just coincidences. They did not happen because karma haunts you, but because people do."

"Do you mean they were just waiting for me to show up before wrecking havoc?" asked Dawn. "Is all of this destruction done just to spite me?"

"I do believe that's the case for the Hearthome incident, yes, though I can't quite prove it," Cynthia continued, "as for Cyrus, that would only be an indirect influence."

"What do you mean?" These revelations became more and more shocking to the girl, who was now practically on the edge of her seat.

"For the last four or so years Cyrus had been locked inside the Distortion World, you know that." Cynthia took a small pause and coughed. This worried Dawn greatly, but the woman waved it off. "But you didn't know that it was Giratina, which you released, who had been keeping him in check. The only thing anyone on this side could do was to make sure the portal remained properly sealed. That had been my job, which I've done once a week without fail, up until half a month ago."

"Half a month," Dawn searched her memories. There weren't much, but she knew precisely why. "That was when I was hospitalised."

"I'm ashamed to say yes." Cynthia nodded with reserved grace. "As I was in Hearthome waiting for you to wake up, I've neglected my obligation, and the seal had grown unattended. This was the cause for Cyrus' escape."

For a moment Dawn didn't know what to say. On one hand, it was good to know how it wasn't her bad timing that thrown her into this mess. On the other, she was still responsible for everything that had happened, even if she didn't mean to. The fear she used to feel was now turning into guilt, and she cannot bring herself to blame this woman before her for placing her so highly above every other sacred duty.

"I'm sorry," was all Dawn managed. "This is all my fault isn't it?"

"It may be." Those words hurt, and made her feel even worse. "However, what's done is done. You can try your best to fix it, for everyone involved, but that's a cross only you can bear."

Dawn stared at the woman, only to realise that Cynthia was also talking about herself. The girl went into deep thought to piece these things together, and then it came to her.

"Cynthia," Dawn began, eyes watering, "Four years ago. The reason you couldn't keep your promise, was it because of the seal's protection?"

"No," the woman sighed, "what I did was not a fault of circumstances. An excuse like that would have suited most fine, but it wouldn't have sat right with me. It wouldn't have sat right with you either."

"Would you ever tell me why, then?" That experience had brought on them nothing but grief for the longest time, but at that moment Dawn didn't feel angry that she was being kept in the dark. She just wanted to know. "I want to believe in you again."

Dawn stared at those silver eyes. They used to be glimmering with life, she thought, now they just looked tired. She wondered if hers were the same.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Somewhere halfway I became insane.**_

_**That's my excuse.**_

* * *

Chapter 19: Rep

Cynthia sat on the hospital bed.

It had been quite an afternoon, but things have calmed down. To this day she still couldn't say which she preferred. Still, it was a time for reading. There was very little to do. She was passing the time with a book, though she was staring at it more than actually reading. It was just interesting enough to keep open, but just boring enough to cause the occasional glance out the window. She could see the sea. It was never quite her favourite, mountains being her preference, but it wasn't bad. The crashing waves made her feel content, despite how everything was just spiralling downward outside this hospital.

"Miss." She turned to see a nurse at the door. "You have a visitor."

"Pardon?" This was an unexpected visit. Not many people should even be aware of the fact that she was here. She even opted not to tell Johanna. "Who is it?"

"A ."

The answer wasn't needed, as Steven had already come right beside the doorway. Dressed in a frivolled dark suit, he sauntered with unabashed charisma straight pass the entrance. The nurse tried to stop him, but a hand wave from the patient excused the situation.

As Steven pulled himself a chair, Cynthia noticed his firm, cyan hair, branching off at every angle. It had always seemed utterly ridiculous to her, but their conversations never got to that point. It was difficult to say whether those ever get anywhere at all.

"Cynthia," he greeted.

"Steven," she replied, "who told you I'm here?"

"I have a connection or two." He announced, as Cynthia shot him a glance. "Is it so bad of me to visit?"

"You haven't in years." It was easy to notice the uncharacteristic scowl creeping onto her face. She settled the book aside, and cross her hands. "Why are you really here?"

"I see you've had another visitor." He continued, ignoring her question. Before she could ask, he padded. "The nurse told me."

"Dawn was here before you," Cynthia replied coldly.

"Was she?" Steven seemed surprised. "Are you two…?"

"Don't," she snapped, "talk about her."

"I see this is still a touchy subject as ever." Steven didn't expect her to simply stay quiet in response. The usual air of superiority faded from his face as he sighed. "Look, it's been a long time, I know. We never really see anything eye to eye, but I still care about you. When I heard you were hospitalised, I came here."

"Thank you." It was clear through the muffled tone of voice that she only said that out of pure courtesy. It was also clear she didn't hold any love for this conversation. "Is that all?"

"Cynthia." Steven reached toward the bed. There was no protest, but also no reaction. "No matter what happened between us, you still need to take care of yourself. I said it before and I'll say it again. This thing you have with Dawn, it's not healthy."

"I know it isn't," Cynthia affirmed harshly, as if trying to convince herself. "I won't tell her. You don't have to worry about it. She has enough to worry about. She doesn't need me in her life causing trouble."

"But then what will happen to you?" Steven had both of his hands forward. "Granted we haven't met in a long time, but have you look at yourself?" Cynthia turned to him, bemused. "Your eyes are blank, and your lips don't even move half way. Even aside from the injuries, you look like you're practically dead."

"Do I?" she asked slowly. It was true that she never had a chance to look over herself, as she had just regained consciousness earlier in the day. Perhaps that was why she didn't have the mental fortitude to keep this, normally very hidden, expressions to herself.

"Yes," he bellowed, "very much so, in fact."

"I see." Her nonchalant reply only made him more agitated.

"Look, Cynthia. I know you don't like me. You never have, and never will." Steven kept on. "But understand that I am genuinely concerned, and you look, well, concerning."

"I think it's time for you to leave, Steven." There was no longer any emotion in those words.

"You and I both know I'm right." He huffed while collecting himself. Standing up, Steven made one last remark. "Is she really worth it?"

Presently, Cynthia found herself alone again. The setting sun was peaking itself outside her windows, and the waves had started to become violent. A small string of red liquid dripped from her lips, stemming from the bite her upper jaw took. Her gaze landed on the book, tearing it apart piece by piece from looks alone.

Sighing, she picked herself up and changed out of the hospital gown. The nurses didn't mind her asking for new clothes, seeing as the set she had on before was in tatters. Her abdomen was still wrapped up, but she could walk reasonably well.

Donning a blue graphic, short-sleeve tee and white capris, she left the room with her trainer belt strapped to her waist. Avoiding the half-open doors and rushing medical staff, she headed straight for the elevator. From outside, the howling winds had been ever so inviting, and she was practically running to it.

The hilly slope edged its way into a smooth curve, of which Cynthia sat atop to watch the afternoon's descent. Her hand held a gaudy pink pokeball, stylised with a cartoony heart-shaped glyph etched above the handle. She had always thought it was a bit too much for her taste, but it didn't matter now.

It was empty, after all.

She didn't tell anyone about it. Only Dawn knew, but Cynthia was more interested in fixing the girl's problem than confiding her own. Her belt was lighter, and that was that. Crying over it wouldn't solve problems, though the dampness on her cheeks wasn't exactly raindrops. The cliffs below ran tall and narrow, and just for a moment it was not entirely too far-fetched to imagine falling down to the depths below. It would be a secluded end, quiet and peaceful, if nothing else.

The ball fell across the rising airwave and spun uncontrollably. In a moment, it plunged into the ocean with little resistance, and floated away. She watched it intently until it was out of view. One leg hanging from the edge and one against her chin, she closed her eyes.

Her team was in shambles. Her physique was in decline. She had completely failed in her duty. That was the end of it. There was very little else for her to do. Even if she wanted to help Dawn, her current state would not prove too helpful either. She wiped off her tears, and gazed at the sky. It was starting to pour. The water quickly began to wrinkle the freshly ironed outfit she had been so lucky to receive.

It was time, she thought. Removing her shoes and lifting her top to just beneath chest level, she dove into the water headfirst. Her body shot downward like a harpoon and disappeared beneath the waves, momentarily.

As she emerged, hair soaked and water running in her ear, Cynthia smiled. She had little idea of whether or not her current physical condition would let her survive something that reckless. She took the fact that she lived as a sign telling her to swim, and so she did just that.

Swimming was originally for a little fun and exercise, and she accepted it. However, the first time she moved away from the pools and the south beaches and leapt into the ocean was when she recognised the appeal. It was not in a competitive sense, of those sports experts and performers, but the feeling of freedom that came with the exploration of the vast sea. Here on the water, she could see everything: the harbour, the ships, the clouds, the rain, and the indistinguishable people. There was always appeal in the way the water flowed against the skin, splattering every crevices of the body, massaging the muscle as it pumped energy to fight against the current.

The rain kept on, and so did she. Hours passed before the intolerable weather finally subsided. She stopped in between two passenger ships, and smiled. It took her a great deal of effort to get back to the hospital with minimal clothing and strength, but she managed it. It didn't matter that this prompted a personal nurse to be on her case at all time since her return to stop her from leaving again until she healed, in case of a fever breakout. Some had started whispering of her mental stability, but Cynthia heeded little of their words. She had already made her decision.

The next morning, just as the nurse was awakened from a drifting slumber by the scent of the bright ocean, Cynthia was gone.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Late night Corpo-Mente**_

* * *

Chapter 20: Tais

"What is your plan for next season?" The reporter, his mic almost as frozen as his breath under the Snowpoint atmosphere. The temperature of the region had yet to rise above unreasonable at any point within the last half a decade or so. "Will you take up the responsibility of defending your title?"

"Of course, what kind of champion would I be otherwise?" Barry spoke with his chest hung as far forward as possible, despite being crushed under the intense snow. He had plenty to speak of still, despite this being what could only count as the fifth time he had answered this question this week. "If anyone wants this privilege, they're going to have to fight for it?"

"Do you have anyone in mind in particular?" Continued the local reporter. As the ten minute interview rapidly drew to a close, it had been one of the most inane in his career thus far. He never expected a sixteen year old kid to give interesting answers, but this was getting a bit on his nerve. That said, it was all smiles and positivity up front, as his profession would require. "A hard battle, or an old rival perhaps?"

"Not a single one." Barry's blond hair, usually shaped like a pigeon's side, was sticking out of his orange hat like an estranged thumb. He had tried very hard, in fact he was still trying, to contain it under the snow attire. Unfortunately his trainer skills didn't come with the ability to be fashionably sensible. All he could do to mitigate the situation in front of camera was to awkwardly fix his neck with the blunt side of his gloves. "I expect to be a reigning champion. If…"

"Alright, time." The reporter seemed entirely nonchalant about the interruption. Stashing his mic into his jacket, he gave a sign to the camera man to pack up. The duo did exactly that, in record time as well. They would never understand the reason their interviewee insisted the meeting to be conducted outside like this.

Barry was left alone once again. He was used to this. Having travelled for quite a few years, it was typical for him to be met with enthusiasm of varying degree. He was no longer carrying a strange rucksack as an excuse for a backpack, though four years ago that seemed a lot more like fashion statement than poor taste. Today, he came here to visit Lake Acuity. It had been quite a few years since he last came about the location. Considering how vital a part Uxie played in this championship win, it seemed only fair he made some plans. There was, less overtly, also another reason. At the far north of this town, now that the league was taking a break, lived a young girl in which he held much interest. Candice was her name, and he was at just the right age to never let her black twin-tails and schoolgirl attire out of his mind. Unlike many other gym leaders he could mention, she was always sweet and passionate whenever she talked. She often seemed genuinely interested in him as a person, and that counted for plenty.

Before he could finish his train of thought, his feet had already taken him where he wanted to be. Snow was enveloping the streets, but he was sweating bullets just ringing the doorbell. Barry reaffirmed in his mind of how many years they had known each other, and since he had just recently climbed to the top of the world, they ought to have quite a few things to talk about. Presently, she answered the door. Five seconds later than usual, he picked up.

"Oh Barry, congratulations on your win!" She broke into an embrace not two seconds after seeing his face. It was also one of those things which he appreciated. Despite his outgoing exterior, he was never quite comfortable around most girls. There were very few exceptions. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great." He almost stuttered. "I happened to be nearby, and so I thought I would drop in."

"Of course, Candice always welcomes visitors!" If there's one thing he didn't understand, it would be her insistence to speak of herself in the third person at the most inopportune times. Something like that didn't bother him, but it was difficult to ignore after a while. "I hope you don't mind Barry, I've also gotten another guest in the house."  
"That so?" It didn't surprise him that she had guests, but more of the fact that they would come by at this hour. Snowpoint city rarely was a tourist destination, unless they're skiers or somehow got lost on their way to Lake Acuity. "Who is it?"

"You definitely know her, come in!"

Before his brain could satisfactory figure out what Candice meant by it, he already found himself being dragged in by the active girl. It was but one small hallway before he was in the living room. Sitting there, just as wide-eyed as he, was the guest.

"Barry?" Said the guest, all her previous gestures froze awkwardly.

"Dawn?" He was obviously no better. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting Candice of course, what else?" It was then that their tone was once again beginning to get on each other's nerves, and it was the least of their problems. "What about you?"

"Same as you."

Candice, whether completely oblivious to the rising tension or just plain did not care, urged Barry to sit down in front of her female guest. The two uncomfortably fidgeted for a brief moment, before settling down under Candice's gaze.

"Candice will leave you two time to catch up. I have to make tea." Both of them noticed the Snowpoint gym leader's entirely too inconsistent manner of speech, but was forced to stay as silent as possible. Until she had left. She did soon after.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Barry lightly rubbed his neck in feign embarrassment as he took off his outer winter wear. This was not only unexpected, but may promise disastrous results, depending on just how he and Dawn were planning to handle the situation. "Small world, huh?"

"I don't have anything to say to you," she replied plainly.

"Dawn, come on." Barry leaned forward with his elbows on the table. Despite his apparent best efforts, Dawn didn't bulge the slightest. "We have our differences but we've always been best buddies, remember?"

"I don't recall you being this cooperative the last time we talked." Though she refrained from moving, her eyes followed his gaze at every step, demanding his utmost sincerity with every word. "In fact, if my memories are correct, the word you used to refer to me was perhaps the exact opposite of 'best buddies'."

"Dawn-" Barry would have no words.

"Which begs the question." Those slate grey orbs seemed to pursue every corner. "What would be your motivation to make nice with me now? Is it just politeness, or is there an ulterior motive at work here?"

"Dawn, please consider my circumstances." Barry began, only to be interrupted once more.

"Tea?" Candice returned with hot, steaming green tea. The grounded leaves could still be seen fluttering inside the darkened yellow liquid. It was heavenly, especially in these harsh weathers.

"Actually Candice, I think it's about time for me to leave." Dawn abruptly stood up after taking a mere sip of what was offered. One might even say she simply did it as not to seem rude. "I'll drop by some other time."

"Oh sure, do be well. Feel free to drop by whenever!" The two girls hugged their goodbye, and Dawn departed in a blink of an eye, leaving Barry utterly confounded.

"Does she come around often?" he asked, not know how to initiate the conversation from this point.

"Usually at the dead of winter." Candice smiled and took her sip for herself. "She knows I don't usually get visitors at that time of the year, so she usually makes it a point to stop by. She's so sweet."

"I see," that was not the answer he expected. "Does she ever, you know, mention me?"

"Oh yes! She used to go on about how lucky she was to have you as a friend, and how trustworthy you were. She obviously thinks very highly of you, makes me jealous, even." That last part taken out of context would have made him Barry quite glad, but instead he could only wince at the realisation. "Though now that you mentioned it, she didn't seem to do it as of late. Had something happened between you two?"

"I," he pauses, "yes."

"Can you tell Candice?" Barry frowned. He knew it was getting to this, but there was also nothing he could do to hide the details any longer.

"I can, but I only pray you don't think badly of me."

"Why would I? Tell me." she asked cautiously. He could only sigh. In the back of his mind, he knew it was time to let it out.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Whatever you think this is, it isn't.**_

* * *

Chapter 21: Madras

"We were best friends alright, since maybe four years old," he began. "We would do everything together. I come up with some crazy scheme and dragged her along with it."

"Yes?" Candice urged.

"Well you could only imagine our excitement when we both got our first pokemon when we were just eleven. We were passionate, dead set to compete against each other like nothing else." He chuckled painfully. "That we did, almost to an unhealthy degree even. However, to be fair, it wasn't even close, as you know."

"Yes." Candice replied.

"She was always number one, but I wasn't even number two. She became champion that year, youngest ever, but denied the title." Barry took a long drink, and breathed out the rest as he carried on. "I could see her change of priorities. Instead of battling, she spent most of her time with the pokedex, and with Cynthia. We no longer talked like we used to, competed like we used to. Then something, I don't know what, happened to her summer that year. She never told me no matter what. She stopped doing whatever it was, and just stopped smiling altogether. She became a completely different person."

"Did this cause the divide between you?"

"No, it actually made us closer than ever. She had nothing else to do, and we spent a lot of time just catching up on kids' stuff." As Barry got more nervous, Candice placed her hand upon his. This calmed him greatly, and so he went on. "About a year ago. I wanted to return to the league. She would have none of that, however, insisting that I stay home. We had a big fight over it."

"That's kind of unreasonable," Candice commented.

"It was, and she knew it too. Soon later she came to apologise, but I was in no mood for it." Barry dropped to the back of his chair, palm on his forehead sighing up a storm. "We somehow ended up having an even bigger fight. Somehow all of our skeletons were brought out after all these years."

"What happened then?" Candice seemed to be absorbed into the story far more than expected. She was practically on the edge of her seat, urging on teenage drama. "Did you guys ever get to talk it over?"

"The next day was the beginning of the league. I left to participate in it, and haven't seen her since." He couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of guilt over that. It wasn't entirely his fault, surely, but the things he had done didn't exactly express his apology. "I'm sure she doesn't appreciate the fact that I didn't mention her in my champion acceptance speech either."

"Why didn't you?" Candice leant forward even more. To her, this was the most fascinating thing she has heard in this town since the last time someone tripped and fell off the mountain.

"Part of me was selfish, the other part didn't want to remind everyone that there was another champion who has accomplished this when she was much younger than I was." Barry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The worst part is, I still don't think that was the wrong thing to have done."

"Well Barry, Candice congratulates you again for being able to finish what you set out to do." It was a well-known fact that Candice was a hard-working girl. Unlike everything else in this town which seemed to be frozen in the last century, she had always been on the move and extremely studious. It was seen as a simple act of teenage violence at first, but when she wrestled the control of the city gym, everybody learnt to take her seriously. "Though a part of me can't help but feel like you still have ways to make up and return your treasured friendship."

"I… don't know if I want to." This caught her off guard.

"Why?"

"Dawn is," a pause, "she's a very talented person. I've always known that. I fear that if we somehow return to how we were, it would also restore my status as the second placer. I don't know if I want that."

"No, of course you don't." Candice turned away before he could catch a glimpse of her expression.

Barry only saw her slowly leaving her room, her own teacup still on the holder. In this moment of silence, he recalled the reason he was here in the first place. He began to wonder if confiding these secrets in her had done him any good, or the exact opposite. The living room, elegant in its secluded atmosphere and sleek, practically reflective wooden flooring, seemed to him a barricade. He had only been here once before, as every other time Candice had been in her gym. This was the only room he had seen, and his natural curiosity was beginning to creep up. He had to fight his very nature to stop himself from leaving his seat, but the wait was getting to him. Fortunately, it didn't last much longer than that.

"Barry." He turned around.

Next to Candice, whom he was waiting for, stood Dawn. She looked exactly like when she left, indicating that she in fact was still in the house. His mind struggled for a brief moment to wrap itself around this unexpected occurrence. It proved wholly incapable of such a task. Dawn simply helped herself down to the table.

"Dawn, I…" The initial response to the stuttering was a complete shutdown. Barry then recollected himself as best as he could, only to continue weakly. "I didn't know you were still here."

"Good." Dawn resumed the tea she hastily abandoned earlier. "You wouldn't have said those words otherwise."

"You knew about this?" He turned to Candice, only to have Dawn snapped back.

"Of course she does, this is her house." Another brief pause as Candice settled herself between them. "She also knows that you've been tunnel-visioning on her this entire time."

"Candice, I…" His words fumbled, but her movements stopped the need for them.

"Candice understands." She placed her grip on his shoulder. Unlike the usual calm, reassuring sensation that so often overflowed him, he felt nothing but judgement from that touch. "Candice is also disappointed."

"But…"

"You should go, Barry." She flashed a slight, still genuine smile. "You're always welcome back, just not right now."

A great deal of confusion passed through Barry, as indicated by the reddening of his face. There were things he felt like expressing, but got a hold of himself. Instead, his presence ended with a huff and a puff. The door slammed behind him, at which Candice only sighed.

"Sorry it turned out like that." Dawn's condolences did not fall on deaf ears, even if her own efforts contributed to this outcome. With how down the mood had become, it was important not to let it slip away. "I didn't really mean for it to get this for."

"I wanted to know, and got what I asked for." Candice continued her sigh. Hands crossed behind her back, she pondered. "I wonder what would've happened had he caught on."

"He isn't that sharp." Dawn chuckled, paying great attention to the conversation. It was a rare chance to lift everyone's spirits. "I'd like to think he didn't mean what he said, either."

"Even after he said all that?" Candice asked.

"I think he was just trying really hard to impress you." The girls gave each other a playful elbow jab at the side. "You know how you always go on about how much you value a determined and one-track mind. It wouldn't surprise me he said that just to suit you."

"Maybe…" Candice turned to her friend with a look of concern. "You hold no ill will of him?"

"I do. Not because he has reformed, but because I am far passed caring." Dawn threw her head back and stared intently at the ceiling. She didn't want to admit it, but her perspective had changed quite a bit over the last couple of days. "With all the things that had been going on lately, this kind of petty problems doesn't even register anymore."

"That's good, I guess." Candice found it difficult to find the right words. The look in her friends' eyes, however, told her she needn't worry. "What are you doing now?"

"Originally I wanted to return to the league, but these recent events had seriously hamper that effort." Dawn turned to her bag, which was lying by the wayside, and rummaged about. Presently, she pulled out her cell phone, and took a good look at it. Unfortunately, there were no news to speak of, causing her to dishearteningly putting the device back. "Without any leads I could help with, I don't have much of a choice but to wait for something to happen."

"So you're here for training then?" If Candice was good at anything, it would be satiating the need for a good sparring partner. "I say you could certainly use some."

"What happened to Maylene?" The girl Dawn spoke of was the Veilstone City's gym leader. This girl and Candice presented themselves as a frequent duo, and was difficult to spot without one another during their free time.

"She can join too, of course." There was a strong hint of enthusiasm in Candice's eyes. "I'll call her right away."

She quickly departed, leaving Dawn by herself. Dawn didn't expect this turn of events, but there was a wise, sensual voice at the back of her mind telling her to just take it all in. She smiled to herself in silence, and took another sip out of the now cool tea cup.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Hi**_

* * *

Chapter 22: Bemberg

Dawn laid there, with one leg hanging out from the hammock and one hand swatting away the summer flies. She ended up here the moment Maylene arrived, and had been worked to hell and back ever since. It would have been far easier had they been pokemon battles, but her friends would've had none of that. A week straight of non-stop physical training was bound to break her eventually. Thus there she was, barely capable of even moving her limbs and almost incapable of feeding herself. It was good that the session was then over, and some peace and quiet were to be granted at great discretion. Her friends were happily indoors and deep asleep, while Dawn made the decision to stay on the porch. The night sky interested her far more in an extra hour of sleeping, even if she could make nothing of it.

Her mind wandered. What has happened during the last week she had been holed up here? Looker had yet to feel the need to give her a call, and neither had Buck. She wondered if her mother's doing well. Johanna had expressed at various lengths how she wished her daughter would have stayed home and away from all the troubles, but that was just something Dawn wasn't going to let happen. She had always felt how unreasonable it was for her mother to constantly be away from home, yet expect her to do the exact opposite. They were similar in many ways, and perhaps that was the ultimate problem. Past this, Dawn also momentarily recalled her father. This thought passed fairly quickly.

She then wondered what Cynthia was doing.

The hospital trip and the loss of her togekiss must have put the blonde woman in a fairly unpredictable state, Dawn thought. When they last talked she seemed sane but distant, referencing but never explaining the past. It was both annoying and understandable at the same time. Something had long since decided not to be said, and there was nothing Dawn could do but be patient. She stared at the ring wrapped around her left middle finger. Engraved on it was a simple cross on a piece of sterling. It was the plainest design imaginable, and not very stylish either. Yet Dawn kept it there all these times, unable to think of a time when she would ever consider removing it. Her mind trailed. She wondered if Cynthia was also staring at the moon on this starless night.

Morning came with little but the gentle rocking of her hammock. Dawn opened her eyes to exactly who she expected to see. Maylene was towering over her with that trademark unbreakable smile. Those pink locks on the side of the girl's head had been curving downwards since she's hit puberty. It also came with a great growth spurt, despite her being such an athletic person. The baggy sweatpants and sleeveless shirt seems to never be leaving, however.

"You're awake yet, sleepy head?" Those words came with the nose swaying side to side in anticipation. It's an extremely unmannered gesture, but no one who knew Maylene would've paid any mind.

Dawn groaned before speaking a single word, throwing her arm over her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's already eight." Maylene poked her friend on the shoulder, only to be weakly swatted away. "You can't just stay in bed forever."

Dawn could remind her of the fact that all three of them were up until midnight last night, but she didn't see the point. "Where's Candice?"

"Went into to town to get food."

"We don't have food?" Dawn groaned again. She knew she had very little ground to complain, as she wasn't exactly paying. Pokemon trainers who don't actually battle tends to be a bit short when it comes to money. Still, it wasn't something she was prepared to deal with this early in the morning.

"Nope."

Dawn had no response, except to rub the bridge of her nose and begrudgingly get up. Her joints ached and her back arched, all expected symptoms of sleeping on a curved unstable bedding. Maylene took noticed and placed her hand behind Dawn's back and in front of her chest. A loud crack later, all was fixed.

"Thank you." Dawn could feel the sore more than ever before, but she had accepted that as a good sign.

"No problem." There was that unwavering gleam again. "Are you going to wait for Candice?"

"I will." Maylene lips became even wider at that reply.

Dawn didn't want to admit the fact that she was just too tired and hungry to actually leave, but either way it wasn't much of a problem. There hadn't been any news, and while she was eager to get a hold of the villains responsible, peace wasn't exactly an undesirable state of being. Even then, she knew perfectly well it was merely the calm before the storm.

Candice returned half an hour later with an entire trolley worth of groceries. She and Dawn didn't usually eat this much, but an excess amount of substance was required to keep their strengths up for training. Maylene, on the other hand, had always the same diet.

As they all settled down and Candice began handing out the breakfast sandwiches, she turned to Dawn. "How was your sleep?"

"Fine," Dawn took a hearty bite, "aren't you guys supposed to be preparing for the new season?"

"Technically yes." Candice seemed to be the only one who was paying attention at all. Maylene was just happy grabbing seconds. "But since most people don't usually get to our gyms until much later in the season we don't usually do anything for the longest time."

Dawn nodded. It made sense. These girls aren't that much older than her. They surely have other things to fill their time. With that, breakfast passed peacefully. It was not until deep into the morning did another conversation start.

"Dawn, when are you going to leave?" asked the pink-haired girl.

"Maylene!" Candice nudged her by the arm. "That's rude."

"Is it?" She replied with a craned eyebrow.

"I don't really think you need to be embarrassed for her." Dawn couldn't help but provide a light chuckle as part of the conversation. This made Candice even redder. "Don't worry May. I'll leave you two alone soon."

"Ok." Maylene nonchalantly replied, earning her another push from her friend. "Ow, why did you do that?"

"Please don't tease." Candice earnestly pleaded.

"Alright, I'll stop." Dawn decided that another topic was needed. "You live way too far apart to be childhood friends. How did you two meet?"

"Funny story!" Dawn sat back against her chair, the edge of her lips curled into an amused smirk. Whatever Maylene was about to say, it was worth paying attention. "We met right here in Veilstone, six years ago."

"Oh, what were you doing here Candice?" Dawn figured that it'd be much better to guide this conversation herself. "You were only ten six years back."

"Well, father said there was a famous library in this town, and so Candice came." Dawn noted that someday she'll pry Candice about this tendency to speak in third person, but such a day was not that day. "That's where I met May."

"What was Maylene doing in a library?" An even more interesting question.

"I was studying." Dawn stared blankly at the pink-haired girl for a moment. Collecting herself, she recognised that the girl was probably still in school when this happened. Just the thought of Maylene in a school uniform was interesting enough, she thought. "She was alone, so I just talked to her. She was so focused. It was super cool."

"Were you a fan?" continued Dawn.

"The biggest!" The biggest smile possible landed on Maylene's face, and it spoke all. Candice could be seen loosening up and sinking into the chair, a smile creeping on.

"I guess that's that." Satisfied, Dawn proceeded to stand up to leave. It was high time she got back onto the road again, especially considering how long she had stayed her on the girls' hospitality. "Time for me to go. Good luck with your gyms."

"Candice will see you off." She then turned to her side. "Say goodbye May."

"Goodbye!" Maylene stayed put and waved off the parting girl.

As Dawn and Candice got outside, the sun was already almost directly above them. At some point during the previous week, Dawn had forwent her old white beanie, and was then sporting a hard, silver-striped cap.

"I worry for her." Candice sighed as she closed the door behind her. "She hasn't changed a bit all these times. Who knows what could happen if she keep acting like that."

"You have too little faith." Dawn patted the girl on the back as a sign of understanding. "You don't know it, but she's only like that when she's with you."

"What do you mean?" Candice asked.

"She's more mindful normally." Dawn slotted her backpack on. "Only when friends are around does she talk so comfortable."

"I guess that's ok…" It was clear that Candice didn't feel entirely convinced.

"Don't worry, Candice. She'll be fine. She's a gym leader after all." Dawn raised a thumb of positivity to her friend. "You just have to believe in her."


	23. Chapter 23

**_hmmhm_**

* * *

Chapter 23: Acetate

Oreburgh City, in all of its industrial integrity, had remained largely unchanged for the last two decades. Despite the rise and fall economic powers, the City of Energy stayed true to its roots. It boasted a fairly dense population, almost all of which contributed to the consistent mining operations within the mountain paths. The city itself seemed to support this single goal with all of its capacity, gracing the previous generation explorers with the marvellous Oreburgh Mines. For a solid twenty three years run, this large reservoir of natural resources had kept the town running strong, and the entire region had nothing but kind words for the effort of the men and women stationed deep within the underground veins, working the contraptions day and night.

Roark sat, his teeth biting at the lips, at the end of the mines. The red miner's hat laid up-side-down on the ground beside him, its strap worn and wrapped in dust. The small flashlight at its front flickered weakly and shone towards him, almost in sync with his arms rubbing up and down his anxious legs. He had little idea of when he came to this end chamber, but he was very sure as was to why. The news could not have come at a worse time, with the League season starting just this week, piled onto the normal pressure of running your employees under hazardous conditions.

"You seem bothered."

The man's scarlet hair flicked down as he spotted another. Roark knew he specifically ordered his few minutes alone here. In the suffocating darkness, he could barely make out the familiar female voice. It was not someone he recognised right off the bat, however.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Calm down, it's just me." She picked up his hat and shone the light onto her own face. It had been a few years, but Roark had little trouble recognising the girl.

"Dawn?" He exhaled silently. "What are you doing here? I closed down the gym."

"I'm not here for your badge, at least not yet." She looked around to find somewhere to lean on, but decided against it. "I'm here to investigate the robbery in the Oreburgh Mining Museum."

He gave that statement a moment's though, as his feet crossed on their own.

"Please don't tell me the news has leaked." He was prepared for the worst.

"It hasn't." Dawn handed him back the light source. "I just have special informants."

"I see, at least there aren't more bad news."

Roark put his mining helmet back on. He could then see things far clearer under these conditions. Dawn, who he hasn't met in years, had grown far more than he expected. She wasn't at a towering height by any means, but comfortably up to his chin were he to stand up.

"I need you to tell me what you know." She handed him her ID, now stamped with privileged authorisation, something Looker had gotten her.

He took a quick glance at the card, and was satisfied. "I've no idea of it myself until very recently. The researchers found the Fossil-reviving machine missing last week."

"What does something like that even look like?" Dawn asked.

"I've never seen it personally, as I don't have that kind of clearance to the research labs. I am given a picture to go by, though."

Rummaging through his pockets, Roark found a folded photograph and handed it to Dawn. The machine was the size of a full grown human, with robotic arms equipped with various equipment sprung onto all sides. They all pointed towards the middle chamber, which presumably holds the fossil within a protected glass case. Dawn couldn't spot the machine having any wheels, and simply firmly built into the lab flooring.

"This looked like it must have taken quite some force to remove. It is immobile." She commented.

"That's the most bizarre part about it." Roark handed her yet another photograph, this one seemed to be of the scene after the discovery. Dawn stared at it blankly. It looked as if the machine simply disappeared, as the flooring where it was located didn't look like they have been touched at all. "There's no sign that it has been removed. In fact, there's no sign that there even existed something there at all."

"So the machine has been missing for a week?" Dawn examined the picture more closely, hoping to find something obvious she might have missed. Nothing stood out.

"That's another thing." Her eyebrows raised, prepared for more bad news. "While the machine is certainly a big deal, we don't really have something for it on a regular basis. That particular room had gone unchecked for several months before the staff took notice."

"So it could have not been there for months?" Sometimes, Dawn found it hard to swallow the fact that everyone can be incompetent at their jobs at times. "Isn't there security footage, at least?"

"There is." Roark murmured something to himself, before standing upright. "Follow me, it is better for you see it for yourself."

Leaving it at that, the two made a way to the exit. The scene reminded Dawn of how much deeper this dig site had gotten since her last visit several years back. It was before the night shift, thus there weren't too many people hanging about. It allowed her to observe the elaborate spiral pattern that the pathways had taken, reaching into the innermost depths. Even with all of these steel frames and advance machinery, it still gave her chills thinking about what might happen if this place managed to collapse. The damage and implications would be too much, and she decided it would just be a better idea not to think about it.

It didn't take them long to exit the mine. Despite the large amount of air funnelling into the tunnels, real fresh air under the setting sun beat that within the mine any day. From here it's a straight shot towards the museum, perhaps with built with this specific interest in mind. The folks they walked past, completely oblivious to the situation, looked the most content with their hard work. There were even a few roaming trainers who probably came for a shot at the gym badge, only to find it closed and its leader missing. It was a common occurrence, however, and few paid such a thing too much attention.

The wide, glass hall and breezing air conditioned air greeted the two. The museum was closed, but a minimal amount of staff was still about to maintain the area. Roark, still in his grey, sullen mining uniform walked up to a security personnel and asked for his access. Presently, the spotless halls were behind them, and they found themselves within the monitoring room. Security and scrutiny had invariably increased after the theft discovery, but such a reactive action rarely helped.

"Here is the footage." Said the watch, as he put on the tape.

It dated to three months ago, and showed the unused laboratory room looking the same as it did in the first picture. This state went on for a while as expected. At the twenty third hour mark, buzzing noises were heard. A momentary lapse of attention met with signal static enveloping the view for a brief five seconds. As this anomaly subsided, the machine was gone. The state of the room looked mirrored to the latter picture, without any sign of interference.

"That's," Dawn paused, "unexpected."

"We have no new perspective on how something like this could've happened." Said the security guard. "There are plenty of ways to disrupt a live camera feed, but the removal of the machine could not have been any more mysterious."

"Thank you." Roark stood up and prepared to leave. He had seen this many times already, and it didn't look like Dawn had any more interest in it either. "Please keep me posted."

"Will do."

Dawn walked out with a bemused look on her face, Roark following swiftly behind. She didn't expect to come here and to solve a crime that the police force of the town hadn't been able. Still, being this left in the dark could not make anyone feel good. Dawn settled down a bench in the main exhibition hall. Somehow, the desolation of glass cases and marble arches did not calm her down.

"This obviously is the work of some forces we've yet to identify." She arched her head and sighed. "I can't think of any pokemon species that's capable of something like this though."

"There's also the possibility that the security tape itself has been doctored." Roark had put a lot of thoughts into this. This remarkable feat could have been achieved given enough time. "A loop of old footage wouldn't look suspicious as the room has fallen into serious disuse."

"If that was the case, it means that there's a major security breach." Dawn noted all of these down on her phone. "This person, or persons, either has legitimate access to this facility or somehow knows the inner workings of the place inside out. Either way it's not good news."

"What would you do?" Roark asked.

"I've little to go on right now but to file this report." Dawn could hardly believe she was doing law enforcement work, or that they trust her to do it at all. "Perhaps some research could turn up results, but I can't say for now."

"Well, I appreciate that you're looking into this matter."

Dawn nodded. They exchanged minimal pleasantries, and she took off. Roark was once again on his own, back against a marble column. This problem would not resolve itself, and things might even get worse before they get better. He shuddered at the thought.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Such is such.**_

* * *

Chapter 24: Quatrefoil

The doorbell rang.

She turned her head toward this unexpected event. The wheels followed suit, emitting a low hum of turning noise made by the spinning metal. Moments later, she was at the door. Her aged features did not help, but neither did they hamper. Her tired, silver hair bound to one side, Carolina opened the door.

The visitor, a teenage girl of no more than sixteen, held in a flabbergasted gasp. It was no surprise. Carol wasn't in a wheelchair the last time they've met. The girl let her bemused expression pass for a moment, before hastily bowing. "Good morning, ma'am."

The visitor was a familiar face, one with much memories attached. The girl's azure hair was the same, if a bit longer, but no longer bound beneath the old white beanie that she was so accustomed to. There was no blouse, no mini-dress, only a pragmatic pair of black pants and V-neck.

"And good morning to you, Dawn." The old woman smiled in comfort and moved out of the way. "Come in."

"Thank you." Dawn stepped in awkwardly. She was prepared to give the woman the most excited hug possible, but this situation came as too much of a shock. Still, she had the state of mind to close the door behind her.

"What brings you here?"

Carol led her to the inner chamber, where they had many conversations in the past. Dawn didn't answer until she managed to settle herself into a chair.

"I came because I wanted to ask you about a few things." The girl scratched the back of the neck while averting her gaze. "I just didn't-"

"It's just the process of old age, Dawn." Carol gently grabbed at the girl's hand on the table. It seemed to calm her down greatly. "Now, please go on with your question."

"I was wondering if you could show me the artefact recently discovered in the Celestic Ruins, and whether you can make sense of it for me." Dawn's long winded sentence certainly caught the woman's attention. She could sense that the circumstance of this visit went far beyond simple catching up and other pleasantries. This girl was here to do a job.

"Of course, Dawn." Carol was off to the opposite room. Celestic Town was small enough that she had eyes and ears on all the happenings in town, and not to mention how people tended to come to her with their problems. Soon she returned with a stone slab, and handed it to the girl. "There you are, dear."

"Thank you." The first thing Dawn noticed was the large amount of etched graving. A lot of them reminded her of those markings she came across on Spear Pillar, and she also remembered how Cynthia was able to translate them. "I suppose you would want to know why I need to see this."

"That'll be very welcome, dear." The slab was handed back to the woman, since Dawn deemed it to be useless in her own hand.

"I need to find the identity of a pokemon I could not identify." Dawn's utter lack of movement displayed her discomfort still, but it did not seem to impede her speech. "The timing of its sighting was curiously close to that of this artefact's discovery, so I've been told."

"There is more to this situation than you're letting on." It didn't take much for Carol to catch on to the obfuscation in those explanations, but she did not react physically. "Things have gotten serious, haven't they?"

"Yes, and I cannot tell you how much I'd love to to let you know all of it." There was nevertheless a hint of guilt in those words. "I know I haven't been around as much as I should, but this is much bigger than me."

"I understand, dear." The smile never left the woman's face. "Just call me Carol, dear, like you used to."

"Yes, Carol," Dawn replies.

"I should be able to help." Carol traced her fingers across the graving. The words came aloud:

Stand center

Aim to the sky

With love and

Hope and time

The inscription was complex and methodical, but the words themselves were brief. Dawn pondered the passage, but could make little of its meaning. She knew she was over her head. especially in a matter as arcane as this.

"It's quite amazing that you should be able to translate it so easily."

"I wish I could take credit for such a feat, but my mind isn't what it used to be." Carol settled the artefact down to her lap. "This is the second time I've done this translation. It was just a bit of a memory jog, since the first one took much longer."

"Second time?" Another surprise.

"Yes, indeed." Carol's eye turned into that of dreamy storytelling. "When the unearthing of the artefact was first announced, it garnered quite a bit of attention. Naturally, everyone wanted to know what it says."

"How long did it take you to translate it then?" Dawn asked.

"A couple of days at least." The woman smiled fondly. "By then, the journalists and onlookers have already gone. However, there was this one girl who stuck through it, and was also the first person to thank me for the effort. Such a sweet young lady."

"Do you remember who it was?" Dawn's eyes were narrowing quickly, as she sensed a connection.

"I don't quite remember her name." A moment of ponder. "But I do have a picture we took together that day, if you'd care to see it."

"Yes please." Those words shot out of Dawn's lips.

"You sound really excited dear." With that, Carol once again departed from the room. Her house was styled with traditional architecture, only one story fitted with wooden floorings, silk screens and sliding doors.

As Dawn waited, her mind invariably wondered of the time she used to spend here. Carol was the grandmother she never had, as her own were quick in passing. The woman would spoil Dawn, even more than the girl's own mother. She would return from her adventure every few days to this house, only to find Carol welcoming her with the warmest of smiles. Once in a blue moon, they would be joined by a third person, to make the day even better,

"Dawn?" She snapped to attention. Her lack of focus was obvious. "Here's the picture I was telling you about."

"Of course, thanks Carol."

The girl held the picture in her hands. It was a photograph of Carol in her wheelchair and another, much younger woman at the back, smiling. Red spectacles and hairpin, along with those long, mantis-coloured locks paint a very clear picture. This person was known to Dawn, albeit only barely. Usually wearing a lab coat, she could be seen here in more casual, more conspicuous attire. A flip to the back of the picture confirmed it, with "Love, Roseanne" signed at the back.

"Do you know this lady, dear?" Carol asked, judging the girl's behaviour as unsettling.

"Yes, I do." Dawn slowly handed back the photograph. Seeing as Carol expected more of answer, she continued. "She's an acquaintance from a lab I used to frequent." Dawn didn't finish that sentence, but she knew. That woman was Rowan's lab assistant.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"This is the breakthrough I wanted." Dawn could not exactly pint point whether or not it was good news or not, however. "Thank you so much Carol."

"Any time, dear." The old woman waved her hand as her smile became ever brighter. She had a sharp mind for her age, and even though her body might not last, she had always proved to be with plenty of hope. "I'm just glad to see you again. You've grown into quite a woman."

At that notion, Dawn stood up. Her face contorted slightly as if she was about cry.

"Carol." She spoke wearily.

"Yes, dear?"

Dawn went and stood in front of the old woman, before she bent down and captured Carol in a great embrace.

"I'm sorry I haven't visitted you in such a long time." Her voice trembled with guilt. "I really want to, but..."

"But since this is also Cynthia's house, you feel like you can't, is that right?" Dawn could only sniffle and nod. "Dawn, dear. I don't know what happened between you and my granddaughter, but I truly hope you can work it out in the end."

"Me too, Carol." Dawn had nothing but an exasperated sigh. "I don't want us to fight anymore."

"Then you should tell Cynthia that, dear." Carol extended her arms and hugged the girl back. This was not an unfamiliar warmth, but she was thankful for it either way. "I'm sure she's the one who appreciate it the most."

"I will." A pause and a sniffle. "Thanks for everything."

"Next time I see her, I'll tell her to treat you better." Carol kissed the girl on the cheek, before releasing her embrace. "I know you have things to do, so I won't keep you here any longer. Good luck, dear."

As they separated, Dawn bowed quite low. When she raised her head, the woman had already retreated to the deeper corridors. Dawn knew it was her time to take leave. As the door opened and the burst of the mountain wind soaked her skin, she didn't realise herself how much she was smiling.


	25. Chapter 25

_**I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo.**_

_**That's the bad news.**_

* * *

Chapter 25: Rinzu

Lucas lowered the glass. The sun had finally wound down, marking the end of yet another busy day. It would had been, at least, had he not been drowning red wine for the last half an hour or so.

The lab's equipment vibrated in idle. The towering, cyclic pokemon transfer machine sat in silent, dusty from disuse and disrepair. Broken vials, empty pokeballs, and half-opened books littered the desk tops. Beneath it was a fallen chair. Its sullen marks and dirt gathering hinted it had been there for quite some time. Lucas sat at the visitor bench and stared intently at the door. Things had been harsh, and he expected it. However, he never quite knew how hard it was going to be. Another week here alone would cause any man to turn insane, let alone someone of his situation. It had been months since he had gotten any visitor, and he couldn't remember the last time he lifted his lips to smile.

The doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Lucas spoke up. His own voice startled him, as something he hadn't heard as often as he should. "We're closed."

No answer was immediately given, but the door opened from the outside. A girl stepped in, just how Lucas remembered. Her increasingly cerulean hair flowed fully, with only a pair of small rosy hairpin holding it up, letting a small stream hung by her cheeks. A maroon scarf wrapped its way loosely around her neck, possibly to combat the changing weather, and dropped all the way to her waist. She peered inside, head turning rapidly for a few moments.

"The door wasn't locked," said Dawn, "What's with you?"

"There's nothing with me." Lucas raised his voice, of which he had lost control. Three raised octaves later, he calmed himself down. "I'm fine."

"I don't think you should be drinking." It was easy to spot the bottle he was clutching. This reminded Dawn of her encounter with Looker in the casino, though at least Lucas didn't look like he was going to pass out anytime soon.

"That's for me to decide." Lucas's arms snapped, flailing ever so diligently. He downed another shot. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help." Saying that, Dawn followed the movement of the glass carefully. "I need to know where Roseanne is."

"Who?" His hands flung. "Never heard of her."

"You have." Dawn frowned at the deterioration of the situation. "Though I guess you just don't feel like doing anything."

"Why should I do anything?" Another shot. "For the last four years I've worked in this lab alone. Not one single person was interested. No one cares about my research. No one cares about how I feel. No one cares about me."

"Lucas, I think it's time you stop." Dawn stepped forward and tried to grab him by the wrist, but only managed to catch one.

"Get away from me."

In the struggle, he broke free, and pushed her towards the cabinet. She hit the metal hard, and caught herself bleeding from below her right shoulder. She knew this wasn't going to work. Even if he was drunk, it would be immensely difficult still for her to physically force him to do anything. Sliding her hand to her hip, she released Pipi. As soon as the metal penguin hit the ground, it propelled a stream of ice cold water toward Lucas, washing him and the alcohol down to the floor. There he would lay in a puddle of what could only be described as crude moonshine, before passing out entirely. The empoleon then returned to its rest.

"That hurts." Dawn moved to the first aid cabinet, her left hand clutching the wound.

It wasn't a particular deep cut, but the gash was wider that she would've liked. Heading to the bathroom with the supplies, she rinsed the wound under the shower hose, subsequently drenching her shirt in the process. It stung, but nothing too alarming. She followed this up by a mild rubbing of antibiotic ointment, before wrapping it with bandages. The process took a good twenty minutes due to the awkward position of the wound, but it was relatively painless. This was all through her survival training she learnt as a child, and had worked out well enough in the past. Departing the bathroom briefly to check on Lucas, it was clear that he was still sleeping. Being knocked down didn't seem to affect his wellbeing all that much, especially not compared to the alcohol.

Sighing, Dawn realised she had to get the information she wanted on her own. It didn't help that everything here was in such a pitiful state, though that didn't really come as a surprise for her. It did mean, however, that she had to at least clean it up to acceptable levels before attempting to find anything in here. She recalled being in this very same place not three months ago, yet everything had gotten so much worse it was hard to believe. Clearing out the broken vials and test tubes weren't easy. They were sharp and they were aplenty, and one wrong touch could send her back to the first aid box again. While she worked, Dawn could hear Lucas gurgling up noises from his hollow throat. He didn't look like someone who was used to drinking, which was both a good and a bad thing.

Presently, the clutter found itself manageable at last. Pulling up the abandoned chair, Dawn sat down at the desk and began scouring the drawers. She found mostly lab reports and research paper drafts, which would be just about what she expected. She wished there was a better way to go about this task, but silently continued. The desk was unnaturally large, housing various different types of lab equipment and test gear. The kind of science that would be happening here was far beyond her. She wanted an address, or at least a phone number, both of which had so far eluded her best efforts. Dawn believe Roseanne to be the key to the case, and she would not leave here until she found what for which she came.

"Ugh..." Lucas groaned.

Dawn turned to the boy on the ground. Perhaps the water had at least helped him sober up, she thought. Putting off her search, Dawn placed her palm on his forehead. It was heated and wet, but he didn't put up any resistance. After a few light taps on the cheeks, it appeared he was coming to. With all her might, she pulled him up by the shoulder blades until his form was slumped over the dripping bench. It was at this point which he clutched his stomach and defaced the ceramic flooring. Dawn was not in the way of it, and was infinitely thankful. In a moment, he stopped. She had a hand to his back and patted it.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Dawn," Lucas seemed to have regained himself, at least partially. "What's wrong with me?"

"Life's hard, so you took to drinking." She helped him sit straight back up. "I came at a bad time."

"Right." His voice trailed and his eyes wondered. They kept going until he spotted the wrapped bandage on her shoulders. He frantically tried to stand up but failed. "Oh god, Dawn, did I do that?"

"It's nothing." She lightly rubbed the spot. It still stung, but the wound would heal soon enough. "Don't try to move. You've caused enough trouble for one night."

"I'm sorry." He collapsed onto his knees, face buried in his hand. "I can't even say for sure why I did all this."

"What happened to you, Lucas?" She asked.

"I can't get the funding for the lab anymore. It's been hard ever since the professor left, but at least I had Roseanne helping me." Dawn narrowed her eyes at the mention of the name. "But she left too, and I can't do this alone. This workload is impossible, and there's no money to keep it afloat even if it wasn't."

"I'm sorry for it, Luke."

"No one called me that in a long time." He smirked painfully. "After this week I'll be moving back to my parents and return the property. I've already transferred all the pokemon subjects, all that's left is to clean this place up."

"That'll take a while." Dawn chipped in, glad that he was finally sobering up.

"Yes it would." He wiped his mouth. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I need you to tell me where Roseanne is." Dawn broke it out slowly, making sure that the information was being received proper.

"Why do you need to know?" he asked.

After much consideration, Dawn decided to go the diplomatic route. "It's for an investigation, classified."

"Fine, gimme a minute." Picking himself back up, Lucas sauntered toward the then clean work desk. He seemed slightly bemused as to its condition, but carried on. Within the front, right, two from the side and five from the top cabinet was a case file. Grabbing it with shaking fingers, he handed it over. "I don't know what you want with this, but it's yours now."

"Are you sure you won't be needing this?" Dawn received the papers cautiously. From the label, it seemed to contain information regarding the past and soon-to-be past personnel of the facility. There were never that many working in such an unpopulated town like Sandgem, but the file was bulky nonetheless.

"I've read and memorised all of them." Dawn was once again reminded of why she didn't like science. "With how the place is closing down, there isn't going to be anything worth writing in there again."

"Will you be ok, Luke?"

Their eyes met for a brief moment, before he turned away. Soon Dawn did as well, and headed for the exit.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Shake**_

* * *

Chapter 26: Baize

Roseanne sat quietly at the shore, petting her dunsparce. The pokemon's azure gold body wiggled comfortably under her touch, occasionally letting out a content yelp as her fingers lightly massaged its wings. Its tail, shaped like the end of a drill, waggled from side to side in peace. Rosesanne herself, however, knew little of that these days. Sighing, she adjusted her red glasses to have a better look at the horizon. Iron Island used to be beautiful, she thought, if just from the colonisation. There were still abandoned mining tunnels and equipment about, forever damned to rot in this decaying land. She went out to the sea everyday just to get away from that oppressive working condition, and her oppressive boss. It wasn't that she couldn't find a better job, but she didn't ever feel like she had a choice. Her boss personally lifted her from a life of poverty into the field of science. The idea of leaving was simply too ungrateful for her to consider.

Presently, she could see a small boat approaching from the distance. No business ship came here anymore, so she wondered what would be the reason anyone was coming, if not for novelty tourism. It was a speed boat, upon further inspection, and was arriving quite soon. Roseanne, curious as she was, decided to stay and see.

As the sea vehicle pulled up by the docks, it didn't turned off its engine, signalling a drop-off or pickup. Looking about her, she could not see anyone seeming to be waiting for it, so it must be just for transportation. In a moment, a girl emerged from the inner holds. Roseanne recognised that black hair and coloured attire anywhere.

_Dawn._

Roseanne's legs go limp. The situation was dangerous. By a light rub on its back, she commanded her dunsparce to dig them back to her laboratory. The serpentine worm flapped its small wings and started drilling into the ground. Dirt flew rapidly to their side, and she tried to run down the tunnel, despite still being in her lab dress. However, not two steps into the ground, she felt herself weightless. She could no longer move at will, and at the edge of her vision, she could see the same thing happening to her pokemon. They were under the effect of a psychic field.

"I'd prefer you not to escape." Dawn had already come, Azelf flying right behind her. It turned Roseanne around to face the girl. "I have questions for you."

"Dawn, let me go, please," Roseanne cried out. "I won't run. I promise."

Dawn took a moment to assess those words, then decided to grant the wish. She had the upper hand in this encounter either way. Azelf eased up its power, before flying down and settled next to Dawn. The girl had her hands on her hips. Impatience radiated from her demeanour.

"Excuse the roughness, but I assume you're still with Rowan." Dawn's tone was nothing but accusatory. She stared down the woman with an ice cold glare. "I can't risk you telling him, Rose. Not yet."

"What," a pause to gather her thoughts. "What do you want from me?"

"I know you were in Celestic Town, and can only be as a proxy for Rowan." Absolutely no mercy in these words. "What involvement does he have with the recent disasters?"

"How," another nervous pause. "How can you just assume that?"

"I don't assume. I know." In reality, Dawn didn't. She made a few logical leaps, supplemented by data supplied by Looker pin pointing to this island as where both Roseanne and her alleged still-boss Rowan were based. "Now you have a choice. Either you confess now, and I'll go deal with him myself, or you can come down with him eventually."

Roseanne had her back to a boulder, arms crossed in front. She bit her lips, knowing that there was little point in denying. There was no option to escape either. This was when she felt a kneading at her feet. Looking down, it was her dunsparce, using its small, feeble hand to make her feel better. She could feel the anxiety dropping, and bent down to pick up the pokemon. Holding it in her arms, she had the only thing she needed.

"Alright, I'll cooperate."

Dawn took this as an honest remark, and stepped away, allowing the woman access to the bench she was sitting on before. Roseanne sat back down, with the girl opposite of her, staring at her, awaiting an answer.

"Go on," Dawn urged.

"Professor Rowan and I have been working on a large archaeologist project for years." Roseanne began, still quite reserved in her tone. "It was to unearth a legendary golem known as Regigigas. Unfortunately, years passed without us making any significant progress. The project was deteriorating, and risked what was left of the professor's credibility and respect pummelling down."

"That's when you heard of the discovery in Celestic town."

"Yes, but we didn't know that it has anything to do with us at first. It wasn't until the media has had their fill did we receive a tip regarding this matter."

"A tip? From?"

"I don't know. The professor never told me." Dawn seemed to be buying the excuse. "I was then sent to investigate the content of the discovered artefact. As soon as I returned and relayed it to him, it was like he became a completely different person."

"Different how?" Dawn narrowed her eyes. Parting words between her and Rowan weren't exactly pleasant, and it was hard to really understand what had happened to him after so many years.

"He lost support from the scientific community a couple of years back, due to exuberant spending and unsubstantiated research. It had been weighing heavily on him." Dawn felt a column of rage building up within her. Two years she devoted her life to his cause, only to receive thankless grievances in return. "He only had this last project to secure his legacy. I had to help."

It wasn't difficult to recognise that Roseanne was earnest. She had never been quiet capable of deception at any level, and perhaps that was what drove this situation to reality. Dawn acknowledged this, and calmed herself down.

"So what happened afterward?" She asked.

"He left instantly almost, for almost three months." From the look of things, Roseanne was quite aware of what happened to the outside world during that time. "He came back a few weeks ago."

"You know he was at Hearthome, don't you?" Dawn received an instant nod as confirmation. "What did he do when he returned?"

"He's locked himself inside his lab ever since." Roseanne hugged the dunsparce a little bit tighter. "We haven't spoken a word yet."

"He must eat, at least?" Dawn asked, craning an eyebrow.

"He pages me about it every now and then." Roseanne slumped down to the chair. "I do it, but I'm very worried."

At this point, Dawn had virtually pieced it all together. The woman's confessions had just confirmed many implications and deductions. There was no proof still, but there would definitely be something worth checking out if Dawn were to just enter the facility.

"I need you to take me to your lab, Rose." Dawn took a step forward. She extended her hand as a sign of forgiveness. "If what you say is true, and my intuition is correct, this matter is far too big to just let go."

"But…" Roseanne hesitated. She understood that magnitude of the situation, but something about going against Professor Rowan's best interest seemed very wrong to her.

"Rose." Dawn placed her hands on the woman's shoulders. They were face to face in close proximity. "I know you think you owe him a lot, but you don't owe anyone this much."

"Alright." Roseanne gave a sheepish nod, and began to depart for the laboratory.

As Dawn expected, they were walking toward the abandoned mines. Passing broken rocks and decaying staircases, the entrance to the cave network was before them. From here, one could almost see the unusual metallic veins feeding power and cables into the inner caverns. These ran absolutely amok within the vicinity, endless and unapologetic.

"Where now?" Dawn asked, as Roseanne was beginning to slow down.

"Here." The woman reached forward to a wall space. Feeling for a familiar switch, she pressed it in. Immediately, red lights flashed and emergency message roared throughout the enclosed space.

"Rose!" Whatever this entailed, Dawn didn't like it. "What have you done?"

"I'm sorry." Roseanne's eyes were red and brimmed with tears.

In an instant, her dunsparce leapt off her arms and dug straight downward. She jumped after it. Dawn, having already retracted Azelf earlier, wasn't fast enough to stop this, and very likely she had a bigger problem coming up soon. The entire mountain was then beginning to shake violently. The girl remembered this sensation far too well. It was the exact same earthquake she felt back in Hearthome when she faced that giant golem pokemon. Running outside, she could see rocks falling off the surface of the mounds and hills, signalling a tectonic emergence, possibly even more destructive than ever before.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Condolences **_

* * *

Chapter 27: Habutai

The towering giant sprawled from beneath the ground, arms outstretched. The whole island shook under its wake, and Dawn could barely feel her feet. She could see the few dock operators, the only inhabitants left, evacuating to the boat. From her side, Toto sprang forward and carried her off to a safe area above ground, where they witnessed the unearthing of the colossal monster they had faced once before.

Its white metallic body moved forward, letting piles of rocks and moss drip off. Its darkened eyes, attached in front of a vertical, golden band straight down the middle of its torso, stared at Dawn blankly. She could not see it, as there were no eyelids or even eyeballs, but she could feel it exerting immense pressure. Its leg, feet seemingly glued to the dead tress beneath, took a step forward, crushing the dirt steps she just stood on not a minute ago. From its unlikely face came a frightening roar, tone deafened with the sound of what could only be crushed steel.

Dawn hovered above, unsure of what to do. Fighting a pokemon of this scale was certainly not unheard of for her, but there were still people on the island that could suffer the collateral. Technically, she wasn't sure if there was anyone other than Roseanne, but it was not a risk she was willing to take. Azelf was then released, and Dawn ordered it to fire off a moderate beam toward the giant pokemon, drawing its attention. There was absolutely no response, however, and that was what ticked her off. It was far from feral, meaning its summoning was deliberate, and it wasn't simply residing here. It was actually summoned from the underground.

This was when she saw yet another metallic body sprang up. This one was far smaller, resting squarely on the giant's shoulders. With its steel bangles and claws, it unleashed a column of lava straight at her. Toto immediately went to evasive manoeuvre and dove, with Dawn barely hanging on. The Heatran's appearance was so sudden and quick compared to the giant that she was caught completely off guard. This was a bad situation, since it's possible for her to handle the giant alone, but not Heatran with it, unless she is given time to prepare. Her enemy wasn't interested in that, however, as giant fireball spun at her with very little delay. She was forced to duck yet again, while retreating out to sea.

As she held no higher than a few metres off the water surface, Dawn released another, letting the pokemon dropped into the sea. Presently, Rotom-W spun upward, its wing-like clips lifting it above the sea level. Its tube tail dug into the ocean, and in no time the door of its washing machine body sprang open to unleash a fearsome tidal wave, passing across the docks and at Heatran and the giant. Dawn could see the steel turtle tucked itself behind the golem. The golem itself barely registered the attack at all, and shrugged it off as a bad case of jungle rain. Heatran appeared once more by its side, having successful evaded personal harm, and released yet another fireball. This time, however, Rotom was there with a wall of water to nullify the blast.

The situation was now at a standstill. Both party could not do any real damage to each other, and the giant's immense body could not reach this far into the ocean. Dawn kept her position to await any signs. If she could somehow lure it closer to the water, she had a plan. However, that would only be possible if she could somehow fool its owner of the same thing, which would be infinitely harder. Out of the edge of her eyes, she could hear a very faint sound from behind the giant. Its eyes began to light up red, and Dawn knew it was a warning sign if there ever was one. The multi-coloured beads on the side of its torso began to light up different shades, before all colliding as one giant achromic beam piercing the atmosphere, rendering the air in half, and straight Dawn. She ordered Toto to doge, but the sheer size of the beam made it almost impossible. They barely got out of the way. She was tossed into the ocean, and her togekiss was hurt badly, forcing her to retract it. Quickly releasing her second last pokemon, the empoleon carried her off from the immediate vicinity on its back. Rotom and Azelf skirted behind her, both thankfully unharmed.

Looking over to the island, it seemed the giant require recharge before being able to use that devastating attack again. Heartran seemed to have completely given up on trying to do any damage at all, and she was safe for now. However, she spotted movement on the shore. Two figures approached her relative position. One of them was Roseanne, only slightly roughed up and holding her dunsparce still. The other, in his black jacket and blue shirt, tie and all, was Rowan.

The sight of him put Dawn into momentarily disarray. She wanted to question him, but the situation had already escalated so fast it was almost nonsensical. He looked at her with his hollow black eyes. His hair and beard was even greyer than the last time they met. His facial features dripped from obvious restless nights, but he didn't say a thing. From his pocket came a pokeball, which flashed open in an instant. From it sprang a pokemon shaped like an ice crystal, limbs also sharing the same traits. Without any indication, it dipped its hand into the ocean. Before Dawn could realise it, the water under her was freezing into ice at a rapid pace. Panicking, she called back all of her pokemon but Azelf, and let the fairy lift her above the water line with psychic powers. She soon found herself right above the ice, and dropped downward. Her footing was not at all firm on this slippery surface, but at least it seemed strong enough to not drop her into the freezing ocean at a random point.

The giant began moving forward, its step weighing that of mountains. What was even more surprising, however, was how the ice actually held up when the golem was above it. Heatran had since departed from its position at the golem's side. Dawn was in a tough spot. Even though only a portion of the seas leading straight up to her was frozen, she needed to be at the edge in order to escape by sea again. On this ice however, she was not going anywhere. The giant approached at a snail's pace, but with its wide stride that didn't matter. Soon it was straight above her, standing still in menace. She gulped.

Momentarily, it seemed nothing was going to happen. Rowan then turned up his fingers. An icy chasm spawned right behind Dawn in a half circle, blocking her exit. The giant, in this exact moment, knelt down to unleash a crushing slam straight onto Dawn's position. The blow was so strong it absolutely pierced the ice layer, creating a huge crater where she used to be.

At the bottom of the crater, Azelf's protective barrier let up. It doesn't have any energy left, and so Dawn was forced to recall it. Pipi was out once again, carrying her under the water before she ran out of breath. The intense water stream rushed against her, assaulting her every orifices. She emerged at the edge of the ice path, yet to be discovered. It wasn't exactly how she planned it, but she would be a fool to not take the opportunity. Climbing hastily atop the ice once more, she was instantly spotted.

It was time.

A wind of dread flowed about her. Wings of black extended from the void, gigantic in size and intimidation. The crimson spikes attached to them pierced the frozen air, wrestling against reality and propelled the rest of its body into existence. The golden crown of the dragon appeared. Slowly, its neck followed, posturing the thick red stripes across. With a deafening bellow, the sky began to darken. Spots appeared from the purest black atmosphere above, growing faster as they approached the earth. Titanic meteorites drenched in dark blue flames struck the scene, engulfing the ice path in destruction. The golem took the blunt of the attack despite trying to clumsily block the damage. The ice beneath it gave way under the intense pressure, sending it plummeting into the water below, and sinking fast.

Dawn heard a cry from the island, as Rowan and his assistant jumped onto a power boat. They intended to rescue the pokemon, Dawn knew, and it was her opportunity to escape. Recalling Giratina before it had even finished summoning, she jumped back on Pepe. The empoleon gave a light growl before speeding off toward the nearest city. Looking back, Dawn could see Rowan's eyes locked on her. She couldn't see any emotion but the pure hatred burning within them.


	28. Chapter 28

_**TBC**_

* * *

Chapter 28: Angora

Mt. Coronet sang its hollow lullaby. The desolation became more apparent the further in one walked.

Unbeknownst to all but the very few, the stair case at the end of the mountain's north side had not been destroyed. In the events of Spear Pillar four years ago, the entrance was sealed under multiple layers of stones and boulders, and now remained hidden behind excessive foliage. The number of people who could find their way to remove the correct path could be counted on one hand, and with fading memories that number could only decrease over time. It had become lost to the world.

A lucario walked toward the unending wall, its nose sniffing about the dust for a sign. Presently, it stopped. As if found something, it rubbed its paws together and then onto the inconspicuous rock formation. Its thighs shuffled back into a battle stance, the canine pokemon took a deep breath. Gathering energy, the black appendages at the back of its head began to rise, indicating the increase in its concentrated power. When these have completed their defiance of gravity, the pokemon struck with a swift motion. The punch unleashed by its right paw was simple but potent. The air around spun until it formed a sharp cyclone, drilling into the rocks with great haste. Despite the move being slow at the beginning, power only ramped up even more as the pokemon approached the end of its technique. A final bellow echoed the enclosed space, as the air twister pierced the boulders' cores, causing them to collapse violently into little pieces. Exhaling, the pokemon began to clear out the pathway, now littered with broken cobblestones. Presently, the way forward was open again. The abandoned staircase stood in disrepair, dirt had almost entirely overcome its tops. It was serviceable still, and as long as one remained careful, it could be traversed easily.

Cynthia could see the static sky again as she stepped onto Spear Pillar. Here at the absolutely top of Mt. Coronet, the entirety of Sinnoh looked so insignificant. Before her laid the ruins of a once majestic marble temple. Shattered columns stood and leant in disarray, indicating a great battle once took place here. No one had been up here since, and she was sure of it. After all, she was the person who sealed this place shut, hoping to never return. Unfortunately, times were of dire, and here she was. Walking forward, her feet crushed the tattered flooring now laid helplessly under the ruthless decay of time.

"Wait," a voice called out to her. Cynthia already knew who it was, but turned around still. In his black suit and floating red tie, Steven Stone approached her with haste. "You can't do this."

"I will, Steven." Cynthia noted how his light steel blue hair, which one struck her as elegant and kempt, now only appeared haughty and patronising. "You know this, and I know you're here to stop me."

"This kind of power isn't for people like us," Steven pleaded. He knew well how unwelcomed his presence was, but he never let that stopped him before. "Even if you do succeed in the summoning, there's no guarantee that you're capable of controlling it."

"Be that as it may." Cynthia now turned around fully. Her golden locks parting in the wind, she had her hands over her hip. She didn't come here to be convinced, and especially not by someone like him. "I shall not sit by and watching this catastrophe unfold without doing something about it."

"This can't be the only way," Steven insisted. His hands were also hovering over his belt line. "If your attempt at this didn't work, it can turn into an even bigger disaster."

"Perhaps," Cynthia closed her eyes and inhaled. She was already fully aware of his angle, and his logic wasn't exactly unsound. At times like this, however, it was deemed necessary for her to step up. "But I won't let that happen."

"Do you think you can really handle such an undertaking in your condition?" Steven knew that this was his last chance to convince her, but her eyes had already given him the answer long ago.

"I don't think, Steven." Cynthia's hand was now directly on her belt. "I will."

"Then this is how it must be." Steven answered in kind. He stood up straight at the stair case end of the Spear Pillar, facing her on the opposite end. "This fight is a long time coming."

"And I fully intend to win."

Both of them summoned their opening at the same time. Cynthia's spiritomb swole into existence, eyes and fangs submerged inside the orb of dark energy, poised to strike. Steven has cradily on his field. The ancient plant flexed its long neck and stared down the opponent with its menacing eyes hidden underneath the dark opening in its face. No one made a move at first glance, simply sizing up the competition. No one holds obvious advantage at first hand, and with both pokemons being generally defensive powerhouse there didn't seem to be too much of a point for a sludge fest.

Cradily was the first to strike. Burrowing its roots into the barren soil, the rock plant extended its reach toward its opponent at a rapid rate. Spiritomb used this opportunity to exude a mist of silver dust dripping onto the battlefield. The plant immediately noticed the coming change in the atmosphere and was forced to delay its original plan in order to make a move for better positioning. Despite its sluggish manoeuvrability, the cradily was able to escape from the immediate vicinity of the attack without taking much damage itself. Cynthia wasn't going to let it take a breather, however, and had spiritomb go for the pursuit, hoping to catch the enemy with its back turned. Steven had foreseen this, and his pokemon was already ready to retaliate and capitalise on this opening. With a foray of rocks crumbling beneath them all, cradily became protected in a wall of rocks. Its prehistoric power allowed it to resist the biting darkness that was rearing the fang at its back, and repaid in kind. These rocks were flung at high speed toward the ghost pokemon, covering its side with the sheer gravity of these projectiles. Dodging was not an option, and it suffered major damage as a result.

It turned for a return attack, actualising a thin beam at the centre of its mass. This beam built its strength for a brief moment, before lashing outward in a pulse of dark energy. Cradily braced itself for the hit, but still the blunt force it received caused it to momentarily flinch. This was an opening, as a stream of telekinetic power radiated from the spiritomb and engulfed its enemy in a prison. This prevented any sort of evasion and closed in slowly. The plant recovered in time to a tough spot, but did not let up. Taking in the power of the ancients, it caused a rift in the enemy's life forces and began extracting it. As Cynthia's pokemon had little vitality left, it soon fainted. The residue of the damage was converted into healing, allowing the plant to shrug off the psychic attack.

The battle had morphed into an uneven one, as the Sinnoh ex-champion was forced to recall her first defeated pokemon. It was at this moment that Steven was able to steal a glance of her trainer belt, strapped tightly by her side.

"Why do you only have five pokemons?" Steven called aloud. He had never took count, but this is an oddity far too peculiar to let slide, even in this moment of struggle.

Cynthia froze. She was prepared to take this battle, but she wasn't prepared for this question. It took her weeks to get over the death of her togekiss in the Distortion World, and there was honestly no time left to truly explain what had happened. She was unconscious when it happened, after all, and Dawn's drops of information given when both of them were emotionally unstable had not been the best of closures. Steven clearly noticed this hesitation, but he received no response. This fight was to continue and end before any sort of casual exchange was to be had.

Cynthia's roserade was her second to grace the field. Its white hair of petal rose in the howling wind. Despite being two pokemons down in this high stake battle, she had no doubt. It was not that she was completely convinced in her eventual victory, but instead she just had no mind for second guessing. It had already been decided that if she wanted to succeed, there was not to be anything else but focus.

Before Steven could further assess the situation, roserade had already gone on the offensive. Spinning with the propelling draft, its bouquets on each hand let loose two orbs of energy, emerald and lavender in their colours. The speed was so overwhelming the cradily was caught off guard, its rocky body crushed under the unison attack and became limp. It was a dirty but quick reset and put a dent in Steven's rotation. That didn't make the fight even, but it was the best to hope for.


	29. Chapter 29

_**This length is unexpected.**_

* * *

Chapter 29: Benaras

Steven repositioned himself in the fight. He had plenty of options for this situation, and it wouldn't even be close. He and Cynthia had never faced each other in battle, but he had seen her entire team in a friendlies tournament between Sinnoh and Hoenn. At that point, Wallace had already solidified his spot as champion, but Steven was nonetheless invited as a spectator. It gave him the kind of information money could never buy. Knowing Cynthia's entire team, he could play this around all of her possible counters, without revealing any unnecessary information himself. The only thing he didn't know was which the sixth pokemon she was missing was. He saw her lucario earlier, and had since faced spiritomb and roserade. This last mystery is unfolding rather quickly in his favour.

"Skarmory." The silver metal bird emerged from his pokeball. Its sharp, crimson underwings ripped through the air at high velocity, putting it in a defensive levitating motion. The two sides stared each other down for a quick assessment. To Steven, his battle was already won. His physically strengthened steel types have very little to fear from his opponent's lineup except milotic, presuming that she even had it. Skarmory alone would easily wall the majority of her line up.

This made him flinch when roserade spun forward. Its petals in full display, it fired off the same emerald orb of energy at his metallic bird. As skarmory has four times the resist, it barely scratched the surface of its grey body. This entirely inadequate attack perplexed Steven greatly, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Skarmory fluttered its wings, releasing a sea of spikes at the opponent's position. This would damage any pokemon being put out by Cynthia. It's not the best of damage, but something that could add up quickly.

Steven was now weighing his options. He didn't expect roserade to stay in last turn, or else skarmory could have knocked it out easily. If Cynthia were to tap in another pokemon this turn, he could catch her off guard with a well-timed toxic attack. If roserade were to be kept out, however, that move would be completely absorbed. Feeling his chances, Steven went for his command. To his surprise, roserade stuck in, and unleashed yet another futile energy ball at his metallic bird. Once again, it did basically nothing, except leaving him entire confused. Of course, this meant that skarmory's attempt to poison its enemy went similarly fruitless, and they're essentially back to square one. This was very strange to him. It wasn't like witling his pokemon down was of any use for Cynthia. The rest of his team walked all over the poison plant, perhaps even harder than skarmory, so this was nothing but a waste of time. Still, if she wanted to play chicken, then Steven had news for her.

Roserade went first again due to its superior speed. This time, however, a psychic pulse erupted from its core, forming a long lavender cone aiming straight for the avian pokemon. Skarmory had little trouble tanking it still, but it did a little bit more damage than the other futile attempts. Steven had enough of these games, however. The bird flew in with great speed, wings spread wide, before diving like a comet straight at its enemy. The roserade tried to dodge, but the wingspan was too large. Those knife-edged feathers cut through the petals and left it in complete tatters. The roserade was no longer in any condition to fight, and was forced to be retracted.

Steven stood, incredulous. He was still trying to make sense of those serious of actions. Cynthia, on the other hand, appeared completely unaffected by said turn of events. What was the point of that? Those words echoed in his mind, but he pushed them out. There was no need to think more than needed. Maybe she was trying to mind game him with her inefficient moves, but failed. That made his case even stronger, and with it came a great confident boost.

Cynthia's next pokemon was her lucario. It held a fighting stance, awaiting orders. The spikes laid from before dug into its canine legs, but it managed to hold firm. Steven narrowed his eyes. This was yet another strange choice. Lucario had no business fighting his skarmory, and would rather be better off trying to fight his slower, more grounded team members. From this, he derived that Cynthia didn't actually know his team very well, and was simply trying to gather as much information as he could. This being the case, it was easy enough to wall this pokemon as well.

Lucario had its feet on the ground, and dashed forward. Steven, knowing this was simply yet another useless fighting move, had skarmory face it had on. In the middle of the run, however, the lucario made a sudden stop. Its right hand palmed its left, and slid onto the side. This came as a surprise. Searching his memory, Steven soon found the answer, but not soon enough. An energy sphere erupted from where the palms connected into a burst of transparent light, aiming for skarmory. It scrambled to dodge, but was too slow. The beam was like a thousand punctures in its armour, striking at it from every angle. The bird dropped like a rock, forcing Steven to return it. He realised his mistake too late. Lucario just performed aura sphere, a special move meant to circumvent skarmory's gigantic physical defence. Usually even this wouldn't take his pokemon out in one hit, but the pathetic chip damage roserade had managed to deal over the last three turns put the bird just low enough. It all made sense to him now, but he could only grit his teeth in annoyance.

It was fine, he thought. The situation was still three against four in his favour, and she had just revealed that her Lucario was actually now special based, unlike what he saw the last time. His next pokemon, an armaldo, would have little trouble dealing with that. Yet another steel type in his arsenal, the mantis pokemon's second bug typing should deal easily with anything the lucariou could throw at it. Extending its metal, shrimp-like claws, it was ready for combat. Before Steven could think, the bipedal canine had already approach in an attack, this time same as before. This dented the metal shell of his pokemon, but didn't come close to knocking it out in one hit. Armaldo retaliated by curling into a cylindrical form as it jumped into the air. Using its huge grey tail as a control rod, the armaldo dove at its opponent with blazing speed, the same way skarmory did. The frail lucario could not withstand the attack, and fell over unconscious. This small mental victory was short lived. As Steven scrambled to contemplate whether or not he was being lead into yet another trap, his eyes caught the new eruption. Cynthia stared into her second last pokeball, and slammed it onto the earth.

This was her ace in the hole.

Emerging from the beam of energy was first the wing-like fins strapped to the dragon's arm. The arms made a circular motion, preparing for movement. The shark tale, split straight in two at the end, flailed about in light of being free from captivity. The hands, entirely comprised a bony white claw, extended forward. The shark features in its back fin, and the hammerhead rounded out the garchomp's exterior. Its tail continuously slapped the ground as if to prepare momentum. This was before the pulses of ruptured earth emitted from this epicentre, catching the steel mantis in great surprise, and toppled it over, slamming hard into the ground. Steven retracted the fallen pokemon, and cursed under his breathe. It was now obvious to him that Cynthia had been setting up for this sweep the entire time. His team didn't have a clear answer to this menacing threat. None of them could possibly take the shark dragon in a one on one battle, and it was also far too fast to put a dent on. Usually his skarmory would be perfect to wall off such a threat, but he had been baited far too hard to dwell on that mistake.

Sweat was beginning to gather around his cheeks. Cynthia had few threats, but she coordinated them in perfect sequencing to get to this point. Despite his knowledge, Steven's own instincts have been completely neglecting this circumstance. Kicking himself, he reached for his belt. Despite the obvious bad situation, he still had the number's advantage. If he could play it right, there was still one thing he could do to turn this into a manageable loss.

Strangely enough, he smiled. This was the only time he had done so thus far. He hadn't faced this kind of pressure for a long time, having taken to travelling so much. It was the kind of drive that made him the trainer he was then. He stared at Cynthia. As they exchanged glances, this fact was communicated thoroughly.

She smiled as well.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Written five days before.**_

* * *

Chapter 30: Aba

The garchomp loomed over the battlefield. Its aura of destruction could be felt in the atmosphere, belittling all that dared to oppose it. Its eyes, fierce and focused, stared down Steven from afar. He understood that he was baited into this position, but things were far from over.

"Claydol."

Released from his pokeball was a large, black mud statue. Its various eyes, red and plainly patterned, circled its upper portion in great number. The torso, smaller than the head but still plenty round and plump, housed two circular white markings, as well as the feeble, stubby legs. Its arms were without hands, and hovered by its side instead of being connected to the body.

Cynthia took a step back. With her opponent being a master Steel-type, there was a good chance for her garchomp to knock down every single one of his other pokemons with one move with earthquake. The claydol, however, was immune to the attack. It didn't have the offensive capabilities to pose a threat, but that only made it look suspicious. Steven wasn't stupid. He may have been led along, but this was on his terms now. She had already revealed her trump card, and the ball was no longer in her court.

Garchomp dashed into the air. With blinding speed, the air around it caught fire from sheer contact. From above, garchomp crashed straight into the opponent. In this blazing wake, the claydol suffered significant damage. The burn also ripped off a piece of cloth tied to its small, noodle arms. Cynthia narrowed her eyes. That should definitely have taken the thing out in one hit, no matter the defensive investment. This was when the tattered girgle flew past her sight. She realized now what happened.

Claydol, its focus sash popped in one hit, was granted one turn. Spinning in place, it emitted a ray of light from the wirings on its torso. This formed a translucent barrier. Cynthia snapped her finger. She should've seen this coming. Reflect was used as a suicidal move by the claydol so that even if it gets taken down immediately next turn, this would cushion the blow enough for whichever pokemon Steven sent in next. This support move was a bold one, but not fool-proof. In fact, Cynthia found it lacking.

Garchomp went into another jump. Instead of using its speed, the shark dragon had its fin and arms forward to the form of a slicer. Darting straight forward, it cut through the barrier with ease. Cynthia's decision to have her ace learnt brick break had always been an underappreciated one, as the situation came up so rarely. In this case, however, this move was perfect to remove claydol's parting gift, and would leave all of Steven's pokemon in the same bind as if claydol hadn't done anything at all. It was then that the mud statue flashed out of the air. Quickly replacing it, Steven knew it was time for him to unleash what truly mattered.

Put straight into garchomp's path was a gigantic hunk of metal. The two front legs of the silver turquoise blocked the attack with such power it staggered the dragon into flipping back. The large cross on its mesh of a torso and face glowed red in intimidation, as those towering overgrown columns for limbs slammed themselves onto the broken mess of the shattered temple. Unbeknownst to its opponent, this one also had a piece of ornament strapped to the back of a horn at the back. Bricks and mortars filled the air with every step in its wake, creating a small debris storm overtaking the battlefield. This had little effect on the fight itself, but it showed that the metagross was here for nothing but unmitigated destruction.

Even then, Cynthia knew that the metal beast took good damage from the brick break attack. It wasn't a one hit like an earthquake would have been, however, and allowed the pokemon to at least switch in. This puzzled her still. Even now Steven had just wasted his turn switching. Her garchomp was still faster, and nothing was going to stop its reign now.

That was the call. The shark dragon was back on its side of the field and began to pound the ground beneath them with its massive tail, sending out tremors within the mountain below. What it didn't expect, however, was for metagross to be already making a move. Cynthia could now spot the pink scarf blowing in the wind, but it was far too late. The speed of such colossal legs was marvelous, as garchomp scrambled to get out of the way. It was not to be, however, as even though the dragon was able to manoeuvre, it wasn't the metagross' grip that was the problem. From the darkened sky rained an array of steel meteors, covering all angles of escape. Despite its best efforts, the comet shower still pummelled the garchomp into the ground. At the end of this savage barrage, the dragon was no longer moving, and returned to Cynthia's pokeball.

She stared at Steven, and met his gaze. He had three pokemons still on his side. An insanely fast metagross on the field, a suicidal claydol ready to give him a free switch at any point, and a mysterious healthy pokemon still made the odds stacked in his favour. Cynthia only had one left unrevealed still on her belt, and it was the worst position she had ever been in years.

She laughed. His eyes widened, but he laughed as well.

"You're a hell of a trainer, Steven." Cynthia sighed aloud, hand on her last pokeball. She released it. "I remember why we used to be friends."

"I wish you had just taken my advice." He flung his hand forward. "Now to end this."

Metagross sprinted forward for another meteor mash. It had no choice but to use the move due to the choice scarf, but it was hardly a problem. Such a high powered move could only be stomached by a resist, and even then that would require a really bulky pokemon. As the bombardment commenced, it was allowed to hit first. After all, metagross was still quite fast. The full volley crashed onto Cynthia's field, grinding the ground into dust. As it cleared, however, a coy smile crept up.

Erupting from the position was a tremendous tidal wave. Practically an entire lake's worth of water washed upon the battlefield, drowning everything in its path. The metagross, which otherwise would've been able to tank at least once, was damaged sufficient from garchomp's last attack and couldn't hang on. As the metallic beast washed up next to its owner, Steven stood frozen. Emerging from the water was Cynthia's majestic sea serpent. The rainbow scales of its tale flashed in the sun and wiggled in great delight. The pink strips extending from its ears floated on the water and flowed from side to side. Cynthia went up and lightly petted her milotic by the head. It wagged about in pleasure, just happy to be here. Its owner also smiled, before turning to her opponent.

Steven had his hand on his trainer belt. He had two pokemons left. His claydol was basically gone, and his last pokemon – an aggron - had absolutely nothing up its sleeve against this milotic. His fingers reached down, but the feel of the touch was ice cold. Cynthia continued to stare him down, as if daring him to make a move. His right hand clutched the ball as his teeth come together, but the shift in her glare stopped this move dead in its track. It forced Steven to revaluate his position, and he found it wanting.

Cynthia approached as he hung his arms in defeat. A hand on his shoulders, she lightly rubbed it.

"Thank you," she whispered, before departing to the deeper parts of the temple. Behind her, Steven lowered his head and left the scene.

Now finally alone, Cynthia searched her jacket and brought out a strange flute. Its lavender colour and outlandish texture was only accommodated by the strange curls at the front. Putting it to her lips, air flowed from her lungs to create a strange low hum that echoed through the temple, despite the relatively weak tone. The end of the mountain top began to radiate a strange light. The stair cast, once broken, began to return to its original state by an unknown force. As it reassembled itself, it began to climb higher and higher, until an entire previous invisible golden platform was seen.

Cynthia recalled her milotic, and began walking up. She lightly toyed with the special pokeball in her coat pocket. It was purple, dimpled with two red circles on the side. At its top centre, above the latch, was an engraved 'M'. Cynthia had captured many rare pokemons in her line of work, but this was the first and only time was she essentially forced to use something like this. With her team in tatters, she only had one choice. This time, however, the outcome was assured.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Ghost taps**_

* * *

Chapter 31: Voile

The boat skirted the water's surface effortlessly. Its medium size was made for doing tours and just general aquatic transportation. Eldritch never thought this was how he would spend his days, but it wasn't the worst. Despite the shipping company having closed down, he was still luckier than most of the other sailors. Having the mind to save up decent capital, he focused on learning the land and take out odd jobs. He bought his own boat soon after, and had since frequently take on orders. Most people did not possess the luxury of flying or surfing, and thus his service was in great demand. It also meant he was allowed to roam the sea once again, reliving his glory days as a man of the waves. He was thankful for the free time he could use to be around his wife and son, who was growing up to be a splendid young teenage boy, but the sea had always been his true callings. Of course, being the captain of this ship was just a side advantage.

These thoughts raced through his mind, before his eye caught sight of a far off figure. A person and a pokemon was stranded at sea, and they didn't seem to be moving. His instinct kicked in, and Eldritch veered the boat toward the unseen stranger. Approaching, he saw a young girl passed out on the surface, her pokemon trying its best to keep her afloat. He quickly assessed the situation, before deciding to take the plunge himself, but not before alerting his crewmen.

"Man overboard!" He shouted, flinging the rope end of a life saver to one of the other sailors. There was only five on this relatively low key run, but they all gathered to witness the situation. Eldritch jumped off the starboard and into the ocean, one arm clutching the ring buoy. The pokemon recognised help, and pushed its trainer forward and into the arms of the sailor. He wrapped the buoy around the girl, and signalled to his crew. Together, they quickly pulled her onto the deck, with her empoleon following suit. Eldritch, now fully back up and thoroughly soaked, looked over her. Checking her pulses, he deemed that she simply passed out due to being exposed to the sun and cold sea water. She should wake up in a matter of minutes under the shade and on a bed, to which they carried her to. On the way, he took note as to how familiar she was. It didn't jog his memory immediately, but the black hair, blue eyes and pink-black attire definitely reminded him of someone he used to know. It had been years at least, for he was not someone whose memory was usually in question. Shrugging, he resumed his delivery. With one of the crewmen watching over her, he might as well get on with his job while awaiting her awakening. The penguin pokemon stayed still, leaning on its master leg and occasionally poke lightly at her shoes.

Not until he had finished the errand and was on the return trip that the girl awoke. Informed of this fact, he left his post to visit. As he entered the room, he realised that she was fully up, though had yet to leave the bed. They locked eyes with each other in a moment of bewilderment. Presently, the two simultaneously broke the silence.

"Dawn!" he exclaimed.

"Eldritch!" She did the same, albeit with less energy.

"Oh my lord I can't believe I forgot about you." He quickly scurried to the side of her bed. Placing his hand on her forehead, he decided that she was fine. "What are you doing on the sea like that?"

"It's a long story." Dawn wasn't exactly ready to tell anyone about her encounter with Rowan, not that Eldritch was even aware of who the doctor was. She apparently lost consciousness at some point while surfing under the burning heat. "Thank you for rescuing me."

"It's what I do." No amount of humbleness could deny his pride, despite his best attempt at hiding it. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, just a little light headed." Dawn spoke the truth. Both her and her pokemons needed plenty of rest before she could proceed with anything. "How did you find me?"

"It was just chance, actually." Eldritch scratched the back of his head. It didn't make him sound like much of a hero now that he was recalling what happened, but Dawn was appreciative nevertheless. "I was just passing by before spotting you and your pokemon there all alone on the sea."

"Oh Pipi." She scooted to the side and bent down to put her empoleon into a warm embrace. The penguin chirped in joy. "I know you'll always have my back."

"Captain." A crewman appeared at the door, drawing their attention. "We're about to arrive back Canalave docks."

"Splendid. That will be all, sailor." Eldritch and the man exchanged a quick nod. He then turned to Dawn. "You look like you could use a rest. Come over to my house. I'm sure my boy would be ecstatic to see you."

"Thank you." For Dawn, this was a great turn of events. She would love to get rid of these wet clothes and slip into something more comfortable. Even if things might turn out urgent, she won't be of use to anyone under one hundred percent. "How are they, by the way?"

"Carole's still the old woman, always talking about how I should stop my business sailing." Eldritch was flashing the biggest grin. "Eddy is seventeen now, great kid. You still remember him yes?"

"Somewhat." That was a lie. Even ignoring the fact that he would have changed a lot since the two last met, even when Dawn scoured her memories she couldn't place what he looked like back then. It mattered little though.

"Looks like we're here." The boat came to a slow decline before stopping. "Can you walk?"

"I should be able to." Dawn stepped off the bed. The weight of her clothes made her wobbly at first, but she seemed fine otherwise. Recalling Pipi, she followed Eldritch and the crew off the pier.

Canalave city was not that different from what she had remembered, though perhaps sparser than before. There seemed to be a distinct lack of fishing activity compared to her last visit, however, and it was quite jarring. For a city that was split into two by the pier, its shores were simply vacant. Dawn eyed about inquisitively. Boats could still be seen, though larger boats had almost become non-existent. The only ones left were privately owned boats that belonged to citizens or small firms, which would be her guess. Crossing the steel drawbridge, she could see its decaying conditions and rusty chains. Four years of dwelling in loathing and hatred had dulled her senses, but the picture of new Sinnoh which travelling had painted for her didn't look good. Industries were failing, resources were being drained up, and wealth and population concentrated heavily onto high-density urban areas. Outskirts and rural towns were practically abandoned, and the general consensus was bleak. It was nothing she personally had a hand in, but there was something about all of these economic downfalls that rubbed her the wrong way. Had something changed that she was still kept in the dark about? These thoughts plagued her mind until she and Eldritch were standing in front of the man's home.

"There we go."

The door creaked open under the force of the sailor's push. The house was old and scuffed on the outside, but the insides were remarkably neat and well-organised. It was the spitting image of an industrial home, living room up front, kitchen and dining room in the back. The stairs led to where the three residents of this house lived. Dawn peered about, walking closely behind Eldritch. The cheap furniture, badly framed photographs, and half decade old electronics gave the place a retro feel, which she expected to be similar to the rest of the town.

"Welcome home, honey," spoken the sweetest of voices. Dawn turned to see a middle aged woman, apron firmly pressed against her blouse, wrapping her arms around Eldritch. "Who do we have here?"

"Carole, you remember Dawn don't you honey?"

"Yes of course!" It was quite a quick and genuine reaction. "We are still very grateful for your help with Edward, even if it has been a few years."

"Thanks Carole." Dawn dropped her shoulders and looked at the TV. "Is Eddy not home?"

"No he's out at a friend's. I don't know when he's coming back." Carole then noticed the girl's soaked clothes and flocked over. "Why are you all wet, dear? Do you need a bath?"

"Uh, I suppose so." Dawn didn't really remember it, but now the stickiness of the fabric on her skin could no longer be ignored. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The smile never stopped. "The bathroom just around the corner there. I'll get you some fresh clothes."

She thanked them again, and left the couple to their own world. Where exactly would Carole find attire fitting for a sixteen years old girl Dawn could not imagine, but that was the least of her worries.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Saturday's a no.**_

* * *

Chapter 32: Burlap

The water sat almost perfectly still, if not for the periodic ripple of her breath.

Dawn, only half a head above the water, had her limbs curled up inside the bath tub. Her form was small enough compared to its size, and then she wasn't taking one third of the capacity. Eyes in a daze, Dawn stared at the ceiling. Traditional mosaic flooring covered the entire room. Everything was spotless. She wondered how much time the woman of the house had spent on keeping the place like this. She could never understood such motivation, but it's quite a familiar one. Her mother used to be a housewife as well when her dad were still with them. Dawn would get home from playing, and her mother would be there by the door step, either with some type of snack or a handkerchief to wipe the dirt of her face. She loved her mother back then, and she still did. Dawn wondered what their relationship would be like if Johanna decided to work instead. An array of old questions occupied her mind, if only to distract her from the reality she was facing.

A moment of clarity came as Dawn remembered Rowan. Professor Rowan, as she used to call him, was an inspiration to her for the majority of her prime as a trainer. People changed, she understood, but it was difficult to say whether or not his transformation was because of the subsequent disappointment, or it was simply something that was bound to come eventually. Speaking of which, she recalled her friends from back then. Now that her head was clearer, she could see the seeds of divide manifesting since always. Barry had always been hyper competitive, yet an underachiever. It was no surprise things ended up the way they did, though she couldn't help but be happy for him, just a little bit. Lucas, on the other hand, was always too used to living in the shadows of his perceived superiors. These kinds of problems didn't matter when they were twelve, but they seemed so real at this moment.

Dawn then thought of herself, and what had caused her to be so miserable for half a decade.

"Dawn." A knock on the door. It was Carole. "Are you alright? You've been in there an awful long time."

"I'm fine. I'll be out in a few," Dawn hastily answered.

"Well, I've left you a change of clothes by the halls."

"Thank you."

The girl sighed hearing footsteps leaving. Thinking tended to shrink one's perception of time, and considering how the sun had already skirted the horizon, it was time to get out. Wiping her mind of frivolous thoughts, Dawn exited the bathroom swiftly. In a moment, she was dressed in a full black dress, frills circling her tanned thighs. This was pretty, she admitted, but horribly impractical for the kind of things she would be doing in it. It felt quite different to let her subtle azure locks out in full. Finding a nearby hair tie, she bound it into a pony tail. It was different for different's sake, considering the occasion. Observing herself in the mirror, she surrendered to the fact that she might have to give this kind of attire a try more often, though not any time soon.

Eldritch and his family greeted her with a hearty homemade dinner of rice, soup, salad, grilled mackerel and potato stew. It was the first whole meal she had since leaving her home a few months back, usually content with processed food and quick bites in order to keep down time to a minimum. She sat there, conversing and catching up, despite knowing fully well she was needed elsewhere. Surreal as it was, she enjoyed it anyway. She was careful to navigate around certain sensitive subjects, especially her involvement in some of the more recent high profile incidents.

As they were finishing up, the son returned. A well-built man for only being so many years of age, it was easy to see he had the sailor's blood in his veins. His eyes scanned the room nonchalantly, before stopping at the guest.

"Eddy, come sit down son!" Eldritch motioned him to come over. The boy obliged, still not taking his eyes off their visitor. "You remember Dawn don't you?"

"Yes." Edward settled next to his father, inching toward the opposite end of the table. "Hi, it's been so long."

"It has."

Dawn leant back out of habit. The whole family was there. All those years back, despite being one year his junior, she was still fairly bigger as a child than Edward. It amazed her how much change time and puberty could bring. She also noticed his less than subtle glances.

"What made you stop by?" A nervous tap on the table.

"I had something to do on Iron Island." That much was the truth. It didn't really explain why she ended up floating about the ocean, but if Eldritch didn't feel like telling that story Dawn wasn't going to either. "How're you doing Ed? No more bothers I hope."

"Oh not at all, after that day." The boy smiled sheepishly, inching a bit forward again. "Are you staying?"

She was about to courteously reject, but something caught her eye. They fixated on his neck. He was wearing a small necklace. It was of rudimentary construction, and she would know. Dawn was the one who made it for him. Dangling from its front was a yellow green feather, tied to the trinket by a small bead. At this point, she was already kicking herself.

"Ed." Her voice was stern, turning the mood unexpectedly serious. "The necklace."

"The Lunar Wing?" He brought it forward. "What about it?"

"Had anyone seemed interested in it?" Dawn's dire tone was drawing attention of the adults as well. "Within the last month or so?"

"Now that you mentioned it," the boy began. Dawn could feel her fists clenching. "A few weeks ago, a researcher came by and asked about it."

"A researcher?" She narrowed her eyes. "Can you describe him for me?"

"Let's see." At this point, everyone was noticing Dawn's increasing discomfort. "He had grey moustache and hair. He was also wearing a casual suit. I also remembering clutching a briefcase at all times."

"What did she ask of you?" The barrage of questions continued.

"Well, he told me he wanted to see the Lunar Wing for research purposes." Ed eyed Dawn incredulously, unable to make sense of her apparent displeasure. "I never gave it to him though. He just saw it, that's all."

"That's all?" Dawn asked. He nodded in reply. It didn't make sense to her. If Rowan was personally behind this, he had to have done something. "Where did this conversation took place?"

"That's a really specific question." Ed chuckled uncomfortably.

"Just tell me, please." She implored.

"Well, it was by that abandoned inn up on the pier."

Before he could finish, Dawn was already standing fully up. She was obviously upset. Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him outside.

"I'll borrow your son really quick."

The door slammed behind the two teenagers. Eldritch and his wife were still sitting frozen by the sudden outburst, unsure of what course of action to take.

"I'll go with you, you don't have to pull," cried Ed. Dawn obliged. She didn't have the kind of strength to force him against his will either way.

"We're going to the inn." Her command was frank. He didn't see a particular harm in it, so he complied.

"What's up, Dawn?" Her sour mood was still a mystery. "Did you know that guy?"

"We're not exactly on good terms." She strolled across the harbour night air. It was chilly, and the flattering dress didn't. "After this, probably even less."

Presently, they arrived at the old establishment. While the rest of the town had been in a slump with its economics, Harbour Inn had been closed down for many more years. It used to be a place of great and frequent patronage, but shut down out of the blue. Few people was aware of why, but reports pointed to strange occurrences happening to is last batch of guests. They were having perpetual nightmares, waking up drained of energy. Naturally the business could not afford this strange phenomenon, and had to move. The locals said the place was cursed. In truth, Darkrai had manifested into this plane of existence through this very inn, and was causing the troubles for its guests and the locals. Edward was one of them.

"You want me to open the door?" He asked cautiously. It was common knowledge to the two of them that the Lunar Wing was required to do so, which was why he never let it out of his sight at all times.

"No, let me." Moving forward, Dawn clutched the door's creaky knob. To her great dismay, it opened. "This is bad."

"What is?" He didn't like being kept out of the loop, but she was not budging.

"Stay outside, Ed. Guard the door."

It was a simple enough instruction. She had always been like this, Edward thought, and stood in front to cover the entrance. Dawn slipped by as she paged a message, before pushing closed the heavy steel frame.


	33. Chapter 33

_**'Tis the season of love.**_

* * *

Chapter 33: Leno

Dawn awoken.

She was standing. The ground beneath her feet was firm. She was still standing.

Rubbing her forehead, she peered about. She was on a small, distinctly polarised island. Half of it, which she was on, was barren and rocky, filled with rough terrain and small hills. Boulders stood in an unimpressive maze, faded from the wear of time. The other half, which is within near sight, was a forest. The ground there was fertile and lively, leaves flew to greet the coming autumn. The night was young but the moon was lit, allowing her to be as observant as needed.

Dawn turned around to see the water. The island's pier, for a lack of a better name, was modest and untouched, with the only sign of human design being rocky stairs possibly put together hundreds of years ago. Near it was a civilian boat, with no markings and no identifications, floating above the perfectly still ocean. There was no way for her to reach the boat from the island, despite this, for it was anchored near enough for her to see clearly, but far enough for her steps to be inadequate. She could not see anyone on deck, or anywhere else.

Dawn began walking, while recollecting memories of Newmoon Island. She was here once and only once. Years before, Edward was suffering under intense nightmares. Rumours had it, it was the same thing that drove Harbour Inn into collapse and abandonment. She and Eldritch went to Fullmoon Island, and found the Lunar Feather left behind by Cresselia. This was used to craft the Lunar Wing, and drove Darkrai from the boy's sleeps. Dawn followed its trail, and confirmed the fact that it resided here, on this island.

She kept on, and soon arrived at the forest entrance. Presently, she was in the middle of the forest clearing, where an uncharacteristic crater sat squarely in the middle. A tiny, shallow pond was at its centre, and reflected very little. Dawn expected this, but she could still feel her heart sink. Darkrai was taken from here, most likely by Rowan. Its sighting with Cyrus meant that they must be collaborating somehow, and she didn't like the thought of that one bit. Piecing it all together, the only explanation possible would be the professor orchestrating the escape of the Galactic Leader, the attack on Hearthome, and perhaps even the theft at Oreburgh. It all made so much sense, but she could scarcely believe it. Regardless of what Dawn's opinion of Rowan was, it had never been his morals. His work ethics may have been lacking, but this was far removed from anything she thought him capable of doing. Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, Dawn quickly left. If what she speculated was indeed reality, then she would need one last preparation.

At the pier, Dawn stood deep in thought. The last time she was here she tried to capture Darkrai, but unsuccessful. After the attempt, she fell into a deep sleep and found herself back a Canalave City, unable to enter the inn any longer. This time, she didn't exactly know what she needed to do in order to get back. The boat was still there in strict stasis. She tried reaching for it, but that didn't work. It wasn't that big of a deal, however, as Toto had little trouble flying her over.

Once she was on board, she looked for any signs of life. Attempts of knocking didn't bear fruit, and she was forced to search the ship. All of the doors are locked, unfortunately, and the windows did little but paint a bleak picture of her escape. Another circle around the empty deck revealed nothing else. Tired, Dawn had her back to the wall and slid down until her legs were against her chest. It was hopeless, she thought, even if she could find a way in there was no way she would be able to make it back to the mainland without proper navigation. It wasn't causing panic, yet, but it she had to sit down again.

Staring at the clock on her phone, Dawn noticed how the time had yet to be different compared to when she first stepped foot inside the inn. She contemplated falling sleep to replicate her last experience, just to see if that would work the second time. Deciding against it, fearing it may waste too much time, she had to look for another out. If the boat wasn't her ticket off this island, perhaps something inland would prove useful.

That in mind, Dawn took another stroll to where Darkrai used to reside. The place was dark, buried under the dense layer of trees atop. She simply stared at the pond at the middle, hoping to see her own reflection. There was none. Curious, Dawn stuck a finger into the water, and keep pushing it further downward. To her surprise, the pond was not at all as shallow as it appeared. Even further, her shoulder now touching the surface, she could feel the cold breezy late summer air. A bizarre idea flashed through her mind, as she took a deep breath. Slowing sticking her head under water, Dawn could see a glimmering light at the bottom. She began to dive. Somewhere in the middle, her centre of gravity was flipped. Pulled by the propellant force, she emerged on the other side to another pond.

Dawn, still unable to grasp the concept of what just transpired, observed her surroundings. She was still where the trees were, but there was no crater around her, nor were there a particularly thick layer of foliage above her head. In fact, the moon was shining rather bright. Swimming to the edge, she pulled herself out of the body of water, which seemed to have increased in size. She did in fact recalled where she was then. Fullmoon Island was where Eldritch took her to find the Lunar Feather. The only way she could make sense of this event was how the two islands were actually mirror images of each other, existing on a reverse plane. This would explain how she was never able to find Newmoon Island on the map, while knowing firmly that Fullmoon Island was at the northwest of Sinnoh.

The weight of this discovery was halted by the flickering of lights. Dawn found this strange, as no one would expect light reflected from the moon to behave in such a manner. Turning her head up, she saw an array of coral rings intertwined with the circular motion of the light. Upon closer inspection, it turned to a sight with which she was familiar. The azure swan raised its head above the swirl, golden crescents sliding out from the side of its chin. The large golden stripe running through the middle of its limbless body drew closer to the earth with each passing moment, while Dawn just stood in awe.

Cresselia finished it's descend as the girl stood still, her clothes still drenched, drawn into the pokemon's glittering contour. Her eyes dilated, mesmerised by the mythical creature. A purple aura emerged around Cresselia and began to expand outward. Dawn saw it, but couldn't tell her own body to run away. Soon, she was engulfed in this overbearing light, and lost consciousness.

Dawn was floating. The wet black dress stuck to her skin and stung like ice. She could not move, but she could see. The light was still there, but no longer as overpowering. The power of the pokemon was supposed to give her happy dreams, she thought, but there was nothing here. She contemplated as to why she still held her consciousness in a place like this, finally conceding to lucid dreaming. The cold on her skin only grew more noticeable as time passed by, however long time was. There was no wind, not even air, yet the discomfort only increased at great pace. Her suffering seemed endless, as the aspect of time became lost.

After an undetermined amount of time, Dawn noticed a patch of warmth on her skin. It was small at first, but slowly extended from her shoulders, to her back, and to her thighs. She felt herself becoming better by the minute. She could move her body, and feel her real world counterpart reflected the changes.

Dawn woke up to the cool air glazing her skin. She was not on the ground, but she felt herself moving. She was being held up by a domineering presence, a person dressed in black. The person's arms were behind her shoulders and legs, carrying her forward at a rapid pace. She could feel their heart beat pulsating from beneath that black jacket, and she felt her own followed. To the side of her face, golden locks quivered under the new morning light. Her limbs were weak, but her mind was sharp still.

"Cynthia?" She whispered.

"You're awake." A pleasant smile crept upon the blond woman's face. She slowed down. "Are you alright?"

Dawn didn't answer, but nodded sheepishly. Against her better judgement, she curled more into the woman's arms. Cynthia took it as a sign of good faith, and carried the girl to Eldritch's boat awaiting at the pier.


	34. Chapter 34

**_It's hard._**

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Chapter 34: Hodden

The boat rocked as soft as a cradle. Dawn laid silent on the same cabin bed from a few days back, eyes shut, but awake. By her side, sitting at the edge of the bed, was Cynthia, whose hands rested firmly by the end table. This scene hadn't shifted for the last half hour.

"Shore in five." Eldritch's voice echoed over the cabin.

"We should be getting up." Cynthia collected herself and began to get up. This was stopped by a shaky grip at the end of her jacket.

"We don't have to," Dawn softly protested. She had no other words.

Presently, the boat came to a smooth stop. Eldritch came by the cabin after making sure the vehicle was anchored right.

"Let's go," he urged.

"Would you mind leaving us here alone for a bit?" Cynthia courteously implored. "Dawn's not keen on moving right now."

Eldritch scratched his head, diverting his gaze running all over the room.

"Well it's not getting dark soon, so I suppose it's no trouble." He shoved his rugged, scarred hand into his pocket and rummaged about, before pulling a large keychain. "Just lock the hatch up and drop it off when you're done."

"Thank you," she replied with a small bow. The sailor was quick to leave the scene.

Stashing the key into her front pocket, Cynthia settled back to the bed's headboard, pulling her legs under the sheets next to the quiet girl. It was uncharacteristic to say the least, but only to an outside observer.

"Is he gone?" Dawn asked, head submerged beneath the crude rescue blanket.

"Yes, we are alone." Cynthia smiled coyly. Her fingers lightly poked at the girl's forehead. "Will you get out now?"

"I don't want to." A hint of sadness accompanied those words.

"You'll have to eventually." Their slender fingers reached each other's.

"Everything is so tiring," Dawn was practically whispering, "I don't know if I can do this."

"You don't have to." Those words came as a shock. "You do not owe anyone anything. In fact, I dare say everyone owes you quite a bit."

"But if I did nothing, who will?" Dawn no longer knew which side she was taking.

"It may not seem like it, but everyone will try their best." Cynthia ran her fingers through the girl's lustrous ebon hair. "It is not your thankless duty to keep everyone safe. "

"Is it yours?" Dawn asked.

"Yes." Like a dropped hammer, Cynthia sealed the discussion.

"Will it be bad?" The girl pressed on.

"From what Looker had told me, it will." Dawn was thankful to know that the message she sent to the detective was wholly understood. The response, however, was a lot more negative that she would've liked. "If Professor Rowan is really working with Cyrus somehow, there was a chance they could mobilise the entire sleeping Team Galactic force."

"What can we do?"

"Keeping an eye on Team Galactic in the meantime." Cynthia quickly checked her phone to confirm new developments. "The plan is to subtly assemble law enforcement, while hopefully track down the two main culprits."

"Do you really think we could win?" The girl's words were full of understanding, albeit obvious doubts.

"If they haven't attacked yet, there has to be a reason."

"If things don't pan out, are you going to throw yourself into the fire again?" Dawn was reminded of the last time she was responsible for saving the woman. Not only was that a close call regardless, the death of Cynthia's togekiss only solidified that occasion as a disaster. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Their fingers intertwined. "It changes little, unfortunately."

"Cynthia," Dawn called in yearning.

"Yes?"

"Can we talk about us?" There was no longer a smile in the room.

"What is there to talk about?" Cynthia kept her gaze straight.

"There was a time when you promised me that we would be together." Dawn began to slowly inch herself upward. "Yet you ran away."

"I'm sorry." Cynthia's complexion was frozen.

"You've apologised enough." Dawn was pulling closer. "I want to know why."

"You were twelve, and I was twenty-four." Cynthia knew that even now these words were dangerous lines. "It was just a mistake."

"It's more than that." The girl wasn't letting this go. "There has to be a better reason why you have refused to explain all these years."

"I didn't plan to hurt you like I did." Cynthia sighed. She knew that everything was only going to get worse the longer she waited. "I was, however, convinced to."

"Someone else knew?" Dawn was incredulous. "Who?"

"Johanna." The blonde confessed.

"Mother?"

"A very protective woman, your mother." Words slowly transcended the stationary sun. "She implored me, before threatening me."

"Aren't you two supposed to be friends?" Dawn admittedly didn't spend a lot of time home, but that was the vibe she received. This prompted a momentarily lapse regarding a memory of the two women arguing over her hospital bed months prior.

"We are," Cynthia affirmed. "She was right, and I knew it."

"Why did you keep it a secret?"

"She demanded it." Cynthia could feel the girl pulling away. "Though it was as much my idea as it was hers. We wanted you to be older, to make more rational decisions."

"Even if it meant lying to me, even if it meant me hating you?" Dawn whispered. Cynthia had no answer to give.

Their eyes met, fully preparing for a verbal foray of shouts from the teenage girl. It didn't come, as Dawn curled down on the bed. She felt the anger, but it only made her tired. She had been angry for so long, and it felt like the time to let go of all these formalities. She knew what she wanted then. From her position, Dawn began to scuttle back up to Cynthia's side of the bed until they were only an inch apart. Drawing their faces as close as possible together, she whispered.

"Am I old enough now?"

Cynthia coiled backward, only to meet the hard ship's wall. This vicinity was making her uncomfortable, and the fact that Dawn wasn't going to let this slide only compounded the situation. Her usual stoic mannerisms were of no help in repelling these advances, and she could see no other escape route.

Dawn smiled from ear to ear. Her torso squished the miniscule distance left between the two of them, and her hands reached for the blonde woman's. Those fingers wrapped around Cynthia's slender wrists, massaging them slowly. Cynthia stayed timid, unable to utter a rejection.

The harbour bell rang like a seismic gong, dissolving all tensions. Dawn's lips slowly turned to a frown, as her conversation partner got out of the bed and adjusted attire. She was obliged to do the same, for there wasn't a lot of time to waste. She could taste a hint of guilt about the blonde woman, afraid of the substantial age gap between them. It mattered not, she thought.

The walk back proved to be uneventful, as Cynthia decided not to humour any more advances from the girl. Dawn took this as a great deal of both annoyance and satisfaction. She understood the woman's silence as the only means of keeping distance, and deemed it as resistance of strong interests.

The two arrived at Eldritch's house not too long after to see his family waiting in the dinner table. They had been waiting.

"You alright, Dawn?" Ed asked. "Dad told me something happened on the island."

"I'm alright." Dawn flashed a coy smile, before diverting her eyes to the woman next to her. "A little more than alright."

Cynthia did not flinch.

The night carried on with expected hospitalities. Cynthia had one hand in her pocket at all times, as if awaiting an urgent communication. The anticipation drew wrinkles on her face. Instead of participating in the family for evening television, she retreated to the guest room, where she stayed unmoved for hours. Dawn visited her at midnight, yawning and stretching, only to see the woman at a desk, deep in thoughts.

"Hey." The girl poked her head in view. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I'll rest later." Cynthia closed her eyes from distraction.

"Does this have something to do with what I said before?" Cynthia had always been quiet and reserved, but even this was too much.

"No, but I've made up my mind on that matter." Raising her form with grace, Cynthia stood tall. Her arms extended, she engulfed Dawn within an embrace. "We'll talk about it later, alright?"

The girl stood still, unable to make of the sudden turn in behaviour. The sudden non-existent proximity between them gave a surge to the longing warmth of a traveller. She weakly clutched at the woman's arms, before the heat took over.

"Ok."


	35. Chapter 35

_**So it begins**_

* * *

Chapter 35: Grosgain

She heard loud noises.

"Dawn!" Edward's frantic voice rang close to her ears. "Wake up!"

"Ed?" Lazily wiping her eyelids, she struggled to reply. "What are you up to this early?"

"There's an evacuation alarm. We have to go."

"Alarm?" Dawn eyes shot open. She hastily tried to get up, but fumbled. "What happened?"

"I don't know, some kind of emergency." The boy handed over her clothes. "You'll get dressed later. Let's go."

"Hold on!" He departed in spite of her protest. Dawn stared dumbfounded after him, clothes in hand. Her mind jolted, and she peered across the room. "Cynthia?"

The ringing of the alarm became more prominent, filling the atmosphere with dread. She and the blonde woman were supposed to share a bed last night, but one of them never came to rest. A handwritten note lay half-folded on the bedside table, discarded while in the process of wrappings. The writer must have taken off post-haste, and Dawn figured it would be smart to do the same. Grabbing it, she ran to the living room. Eldritch was waiting for her.

"Come, Dawn, evacuation!" The usual calm, adventurous sailor was nowhere to be found. Fear and anxiety accented his face. "The city is under attack."

The other members of the family had already escaped. She decided not to ask question, and followed his lead. Upon exiting the house, waves of people were blocking their view, all running toward a single destination. The man grabbed Dawn's wrist, and pulled her into the horde. Lost in the sea of shoving, panicking humans, her only anchor was the piece of paper she held so dear between her fingers. No one cared who she was when they're all running for their lives, and soon she joined in.

Minutes later, they found themselves catching a breath at the destination.

"Are you alright?" Eldritch asked. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No." Dawn could feel her ribs aching, but decided it to be a minor inconvenience.

"Let's go find Carole and Eddy," he urged.

"I think I'll stay here, Eldritch," she declined. "I'll just slow you down. Go."

He hesitated, before disappearing into the deeper corridors.

Dawn stood alone in the corner, still inside the sea of a hundred. The cold, metallic steel of the bunker grazed against her back. The pyjamas she wore was basically in taters; its red spots ripping in pity. The flickering lights didn't stop her from prying open the now crumpled piece of note. It read.

"My dearest, Dawn

It is now two in the morning, and this is my fifth attempt, so please excuse my ramblings.

I've received very recent reports that there will be a full scale attack on Sinnoh within the upcoming few hours. Cyrus had somehow mobilised the entire Galactic corporation, and will make an attempt to take over the entire region in his final crusade to eliminate spirits. It is no doubt that Rowan will be involved in this operation somehow. It is believed that they rushed their plans due to your interference at Iron Island. They will have in their command some of the strongest mythical forces this world has to offer.

I hope that by the time you read this, you'll have been safe. I'll tell you this once more: you don't owe any of us anything. No one will blame you for not risking your life for us yet again. I will, however, participate in this battle. If Cyrus had his ways, he will rid of us all of our emotions.

I love you too much to let that happen,

Cynthia"

Tear drops gradually smudged the ink. The shouting only became louder, but she couldn't make out a single word. Dawn simply sat in utter defeat, unable to come to make sense of what was happening, or to come to a decision. In this desperate time of need, she felt truly alone.

…

The Galactic corporation was one of many trades. Ever since the disappearance of Cyrus, and its disassociation with Charon, the company had gone on to become a Sinnoh corporate superpower. Saturn led it every step of the way, and sat at the highest echelon of influence in the entire region. He was content, in fact quite happy. Not once did he believe in Cyrus' mad ramblings. Once the old men were out of the picture, a Team Galactic in disarray was at his feet. Rebuilding the world was too difficult, but economics was a game he could play. In under four years, his company had monopolised many avenues of trades and commerce, and basically had the region by the neck. He had the power to kick up quite a stir, but there was no need. He liked his decorated job, nice car, and stylish office.

Eight in the morning, one day, he had lost all of it.

Saturn hid himself inside the storage room of Galactic Headquarters. The Boss had returned. Thousands of loyal employees took up arms to rise against the C.E.O, to once again follow the destructive, yet maddeningly alluring Cyrus into battle. He knew all along that Mars and Jupiter never forgot about the old man, but their efforts to usurp power in such a swift and brutal fashion was alien to him. Cyrus didn't have to do so much as lift a finger, and four years of exponential expansion was handed to him on a platter. Saturn dialled a familiar number.

"Detective," he hushed. "It's me."

"Saturn?" Looker's voice shot through the earpiece. "How dare you do this? I trusted you."

"I have no hand in this, detective," He implored. "This situation is just as bad for me as it is for you."

"That so?" A pause. "How can I take your word for anything?"

"I'll give myself up if I have to." He had to keep his voice down in fear of being heard. "I'm in danger too, detective."

"What? Why?"

"I resisted the takeover, now they're after me." The whispers huffed like a pounding drum.

"Where are you?" The pace of the conversation took Looker with it.

"In the basement of the HQ." Saturn turned around for another peek. He saw nothing. "There's a secret path down here to the southern border of the city."

"I'll meet you there."

The call ended when the signal cut out. Numerous cities have reported attacks. The police chief had mobilised the entirety of the standing force to combat the sea of grayscale-uniformed terrorists. International law enforcements had been notified, and promised to send aid as soon as able. Despite the timing of the attack, the Team Galactic standing agents weren't in staggering numbers. They also arrived with seemingly rushed preparations and equipment, pokémons undertrained and weapons understaffed. Hours after the initial attack, and they were already contained. Casualties were minimal. Many predicted the conflict to last no longer than a few days.

Detective Looker stood, and stared at his phone. He found no reason to be worried, yet he could not stop. The distance from his Hearthome office to Veilstone city took less than a few hours to traverse, and soon enough Looker was stepping out of his car. The sun rays proved to be too bright to have a good look, but too dark to be cherished. Looker could see the Galactic Corp. Headquarter in the distance, which devilishly loomed over the city' cliff borders.

He walked toward the rocky overhang. A secret path within the boulders revealed itself. Saturn stepped forward, his once perky crescent-shaped hairdo lay flat. His black, designer business suit had all its pins ripped out. He had lost all the air of a high office executive. He was escorted by a dozen team Galactic members. Looker reached for his gun, only to find his hand immobile. A tangela's vines had him by the wrists. Its owner, the spiky bobbed-hair female commander of the old Team Galactic, walked up to him.

"Don't you try anything funny." Mars' voice expressed her detachment. "You're coming with us."

"Saturn!" Looker bellowed at the businessman cowering under force. "You set me up?"

"I'm sorry detective, I have no choice." Saturn's voice quaked under pressure. "You wouldn't believe what they would've done."

Looker stared in bemusement, before quieting down. He discarded his rage, for it was no use. He tried to think clearly. Team Galactic had very few reasons to capture him. This treachery wouldn't help them win their war, so what role had he to play?

Before he could make heads and tales of the situation, Mars shoved her hands down his pockets and pulled out his phone. Looker opened his mouth to protest, only to find it quickly wrapped under vines and leaves as well. He witnessed her sending text messages into his phone, identifiable by the tones, but unable to grasp just with whom she was communicating.

"Take him away."

The tangela's incredible strength dragged him along, as they all went back inside the Galactic Building. The grip around him tightened and soon it blocked out his consciousness.


	36. Chapter 36

_**Poupee de son**_

* * *

Chapter 36: Chenille

Candice sat nervously. The cold radiated from her own gym was such an alien feeling. Everyone in town had evacuated to the underground, and she found herself obligated to stay on the surface. Despite the warnings, Team Galactic had yet to reach Snowpoint City, but that did not help her anxiety. Her legs, crossed, began to shake.

The bell rang.

Out of everything that could've happened, this caught her completely off guard. Cautiously approaching the door, she peered through the peep hole. Outside stood a boy of sixteen, golden hair, orange eyes, and a fashion sense both pre and post modern.

"Barry?" She hastily opened the gate.

"Candice!" He slipped right through, and the wooden barrier returned to its resting frame. "I was worried, so I ran over here."

"Aren't you supposed to be helping with the fight?" Those words came out more judgemental than she intended. "I mean; wouldn't they call you?"

"I was about to, but then I got a message from Looker." Swiping through his phone, Barry located the text, and handed it over to her. "He says here everything's going well. Just go somewhere isolated to hide."

"You told him you're coming here?" Candice read the rest of the conversation, which only lasted another exchange.

"Yeah, just in case he wants to mobilise everyone."

Candice contemplated on this for a moment, before shrugging off her concerns. "I'm glad you're here, Barry."

"You are?" he slipped, before collecting himself, "yes of course. I figured you'd need the help."

"Well I don't really," the two gazed across the empty gym hall, "but I don't enjoy being lonely either."

"Me neither." Barry scratched the back of his head and smiled. He had not done a particular lot as of recent times, but this opportunity might just be what had always needed.

A knock on the door.

The two spun towards it, and stared at each other for a short while.

"Who do you think it is?" Candice asked.

"I'll check." Barry stepped forward, but he never had a chance to reach the door.

The handle flew straight across the room, as the door it meant to hold in place flung open and slammed against the wall. On the other side stood two silhouettes of a man and a woman, both wearing Team Galactic executive uniform.

"There you are, boy." Cyrus towered over the two teenagers. His blue hair, eyes, and smile took over the atmosphere. Jupiter stood by his side, ready to spring to assistance. "I've been looking for you."

"You!" Barry screeched. He remembered the Team Galactic's leader well, whose air of condescension still haunt the boy to this day. "How did you find us?"

"Such naiveté." The more the man spoke, the more the two hated him. "I don't have time for nonsense. You have something I want."

"What?" Instinctively grabbing his belt, Barry realised what the villainous scheme intended. "No!"

"You can't run, we have the building surrounded," Jupiter chimed in. She wasn't usually this quiet, but the supreme leader was speaking. "There's nothing you can do."

"Back off." Candice stepped between them. She didn't hold all the reasons for this decision, but there was no backing down from this. "You're not getting what you want. This is my town; you go through me first!"

"With pleasure." Jupiter smirked. "Permission to battle, Great Leader."

Cyrus waved his hand. Jupiter bit her lips, and took point. Candice followed suit. Presently, they stared at each other across the ice pit. Barry motioned to interfere, only to find Cyrus blocking his path.

"Step down, boy." The man crossed arms behind his back, no signs of respect. "You'll get your turn once that girl loses."

Barry gritted his teeth. His eyes and Candice's met. She nodded to him, telling him not to worry. He had no choice but to take her gesture as a matter of faith.

"Enough talk." Jupiter already had a pokeball in hand, prompting Candice to do the same. "Let's make this quick."

The two tossed their contestants onto the battlefield. The smoke soon cleared, revealing the abomasnow, white fur and green foliage, against the flying four-winged crobat. Heavy snow began to fall, soon engulfed the air. The crobat didn't react well to the change of weather, which was reflected in the distaste on Jupiter's face.

"Avalanche!" The snowy tree wound up for the attack. Exerting coldness into the air, the falling snow became bigger and firmer in unison.

"Air Slash!" Jupiter's command pierced ears, and her pokemon immediately responded.

The bat, its speed far superior, acted first. Zipping through the air, it effortlessly dodged the ice blocks, and was soon right at the face of its victim. The razor sharp wings came down like butcher knifes, cutting straight through the fur of the green snowman. Candice's pokemon fell, crackling the ice floor beneath it.

"What are you doing, girly?" Jupiter showed no lack of that trademark Team Galactic snobbery. "If you're going to talk big, at least have something to show for it."

The girl had no response. Returning her unconscious teammate into the belt, she had another one waiting. From her second pokeball, came a mammothian four-legged tusked beast. The shade of its brown fur engulfed the battlefield, staring down the puny bat.

Jupiter made no visible response to the masmowine's appearance, but displayed no lack of focus. She understood the level of threat, but also the required display of awareness. Years biding her time after the string of embarrassing defeats at the hand of Dawn gave a lot of perspective. Like it or not, she knew of personal perpetual arrogance. She still talked smack, but those big words were more for show. Candice eyed the woman suspiciously, before they committed.

"Fly," Jupiter commanded.

"Ice Shard."

The bat attempted to take off, but the giant mammoth acted first. Otherwise a slow pokemon, Candice's masmowine exuded a chilling aura which allowed it to flash freeze the air at will. One formed in the way of the crobat as it performed the ascension, resulting in a violent crash into the surface of the ice chunk. Unable to withstand the shock, the bat fell off its path and feebly crashed onto the ground below.

"One for one." Jupiter murmured, and retracted her fallen comrade. The teasing conversation from before had completely halted, to the girl's pleasant surprise. She understood that despite the trade, the pace of the battle fell outside her control. Abomasnow's sacrifice early on, however, gave her team an edge. The prevalent hail would no doubt play to her advantage.

Jupiter released her next pokemon with a flick of the wrist: a large blue sea slug under hard green shell. Its six legs wobbled about the premises, before firmly plopped down at the surface below. Its black and white three eyes gazed about, independent of one another, before falling onto the girl in the sailor uniform standing across the battlefield.

Jupiter threw her hand forward, prompting her gastrodon to take the offensive. Candice took a moment to contemplate her position, before ordering her own command to stand and fight. The mammoth took point and ready to strike, but the opponent proved unnaturally quick. The sea slug's innate speed was seldom considered, but this much above average showed signs of heavy investment. It hurled forth a crashing wave of torrent, overwhelming the mammoth's momentum at the turn. Candice winced, but soon collected herself. Despite the heavy damage, her mamoswine still stood. Jupiter's heavy investment in the slug's speed must have come at a cost of its power, Candice thought. She seized the opportunity, and had her pokemon followed through with the original attack. The beast's gigantic legs shook and stomped, sending massive ripples across the earth, with its enemy caught in the fray. The gastrodon was still standing, albeit barely. Candice believed this to be her great advantage, and she had every plan to push it.

The next round was already in place. Masmowine hurdled forth, once again used its energy to create the falling ice shard straight above the enemy. This move would hit hard any enemy which would otherwise resist a repeat of the earthquake attack, while also sufficiently strong to finish off the injured enemy. Jupiter opted not to do any fancy strategies, simply letting her pokemon stay in and perish under the onslaught.

She made no delay in sending out her next team member, with no effort to keep up the trash talking from earlier, for which Candice was thankful. The girl recoiled physical, however, to the appearance of a foul rodent. White stripes ran through its purple fur, the skuntank prowled about the summoning light, exuding a putrid odour, the strength of which could only be adequately removed with a flamethrower.

Candice reached to her side. An earthquake would easily rid her of this unfortunate circumstance, but the skuntank was inevitable faster. She needed something fast, reliable, and guaranteed good trades.

On the side lines, Barry could do nothing but felt his drumming heart. He justified it as nothing more than second hand nerves, but unable to stay still. He would steal a glance at the Team Galactic leader beside him, who was observing the match with unwavering focus. The sheer intimidation of the solemnity had the boy trembling in his boots, and forced him to divert his gaze back to the action.


	37. Chapter 37

_**Enough**_

* * *

Chapter 37: Dowlas

Candice scanned the field once more. Despite the predicament, she could afford to continue the trading. Being one pokemon ahead meant that keeping her options open guaranteed her a win, should she play it right. In order to do so, however, she needed to take a risk. She had taken out a tank and a scout of the opponent, and exposed what seemed to be something aimed at trading. Her abomasnow did its job of setting up hail, and it was enough.

Going against her natural instinct of switching out the masmowine, Candice left the mammoth in for the next round. It puffed for battle and swayed its tusks. She recognised the lack of speed as well as health, and opted to go for a weaker but guaranteed move. Ice blocks formed overhead and bombarded the skunk's position. The skuntank took the hit face first, but suffered minimal damage. Trajectory unaffected, it propelled forward and landed on top of the masmowine. Claws bore, it stabbed through the thick fur with great vigour. Veins of poison opened under its skin, transmitting directly into the enemy. The mammoth tried its best to shrug off the attacker, but proved too slow. The poison had spread through its system, and knocked it out within the next instance.

Returning the fallen pokemon, Candice took no break in continuing the battle. Yet another ice-type enter the field in the form of glalie. The spherical, ice-armoured rock flaunted its daunting fangs, and edged backward, allowing the black horns to position forward. Despite being slower, it was tough enough to take a hit from the toxic rodent, while being strong enough to finish it.

Barry narrowed his eyes. Glalie wasn't a bad choice by any means, but he still wondered why Candice chose to send it out now. He knew her team, and this wasn't the best nor safest answer. A hint of doubt plagued his thoughts, and made him even more nervous.

Jupiter's hand cut through the air.

"Explosion," she uttered.

The skuntank curled into a ball of light, as Barry sweated. He didn't expect that sort of spell to be in its arsenal. Such a suicidal move would have plenty of damage to take out any pokemon on Candice's team for free, guaranteeing a great trade. Turning to the other side, he barely caught his friend's movement. The Snowpoint gym leader was already in the process of something else. It was too fast to be reactive, and could only be explained as a foresight move. The glalie, without seeing any action, returned to its pokeball. In its place came a kimono-donned, bow-tied, floating ghost of a pokemon. Jupiter could not retract her order, as the skuntank exerted all of its energy into a flash of kinetic energy that ruptured the ground in its wake. The shockwave engulfed the battlefield, causing ice particles from the gymnasium ground to fly across the room. The humans scrambled for cover, save for the ever-standing Cyrus. A stray shard ran across his cheeks, drawing blood, but the man refused to budge an inch. His attention was unshakeable.

The field cleared presently. On one side, the skuntank had sacrificed all of its energy, and had to be recalled. On the other, the froslass made no attempt to acknowledge the attack, completely unscathed. It was at this moment that Barry realised his friend's plan. Candice, through whatever channel, anticipated this last resort outburst, and prepared a completely immune pokemon to take the blunt of it. The two crossed gazes, and she gave him thumbs up and a smirk. He, still on his back after the barrage, stared at it incredulously for a moment, before returning the gesture.

Jupiter stayed silent still, and called in her fourth pokemon: her own ghost, bipedal and dark purple, sableye. Its eyes of azure gems rotated squarely within the sockets in the most unnerving yet innocent way. From beneath its head, a smile stretched up, sharp and threatening. Those teeth slid into each other from top to bottom, row to row, into an array of intertwining blades across the jawline. The sableye's dark and ghost type posed an obvious advantage over its opponent, but Candice's positivity didn't fade.

The next turn started almost immediately. The froslass spun into a dance of petals, as the lights converged onto its centre stage. Paths of icy wing turned into a ray of mist, covered the swirling flares at the pokemon's wrists. The ray shot through the battlefield straight at the opponent, creating a faint bond between them. Sableye's turn came just a little late. Its hands came together, and caused the red gem on its chest to glow. The six short, stubby fingers moved apart, conjuring a giant red crystal, which was promptly thrown at the froslass. The strength of the super effective foul play proved too much to bear, as the icy ghost fainted immediately. However, the connection it previously established with the enemy began to pull viciously. The sableye clutched its chest in despair, before subsequently collapsed under the destiny bond.

Barry witnessed both sides retracting their pokemons at once, more confident than ever. The fact that Candice was going toe to toe against Team Galactic's leader was a huge motivation for him. If he could imagine, Cyrus would not stand by the side line forever, and he would need this boost of confidence in order to face him.

"Go get 'em Candice!" He found himself blurting out.

He expected the girl to reply with the same enthusiasm, but she didn't even seem to be paying him any mind. Strangely, she looked far more nervous than before. Following her gaze, he could understand the reason. Jupiter's stance had completely shifted. The woman's legs were no longer crossing, hips diagonal. Instead, she stood firm, arms crossed the chest, and exuded an air of lethality.

"How precious," she chuckled, "you actually think she's winning."

"Of course she is!" Barry retorted. "You're at a clear disadvantage."

"Look at your friend." Jupiter pointed out Candice's uneasy posture. "She doesn't even believe."

"Jupiter," Cyrus interjected, his voice impatient. "No more fooling around, end this."

"Yes, Master Cyrus." She did a quick bow, before turning to her opponent. "You heard him."

Candice kept silent still, and on queue revealed her next pokemon. The glalie appeared once again, in all of its circular slipperiness. She intended it to be a scout, and was something she willed to lose without much fuss. Barry was technically correct: she had three pokemons left to her opponent's two. However, the ones still left didn't have the luxury of a setup turn, all being quite vulnerable. It was the risk of running an all ice type team, but it's too late to worry. She watched Jupiter's move intensely, and her heart sank as the slimy, dark teal form of the poison frog emerged from the summoning fog. Jupiter's toxicroak flexed its muscle, with an expression just as smug as its owner.

The descent began.

The toxicroak proved merciless. Its mediocre speed trumped the competition by just a hair, enough to guarantee the first move every time. The power of brick break against Candice's ice type were simply too much to handle, as all of remaining pokemons fall one by one to its overwhelming force. She cursed her own lack of foresight as her glalie went down. She regretted severely the decision to give up her only counter, froslass, in an aborted attempt to facilitate an useless advantage, as her glaceon failed to stand up to the hit. She knew nothing left up was her sleeve, as her weavile waved in futile indignation, and Candice had no choice but to surrender.

Men of Team Galactic swarmed the gym following her defeat. The first thing they did was to handcuff the gym leader.

"Let me go," Candice protested to no avail.

"Can't let you go around causing trouble, girly." Jupiter motioned an underling to put a gag around the girl's mouth. "The master is speaking."

On prompt, Cyrus stepped forward, and the men ran into a circle surrounding him and Barry.

"What do you want?" The boy clutched his fists and gathered his fighting spirit.

"I told you, boy." Cyrus looked down at him in pity. "You have something of mine."

"I do." Barry, for all of his stammering, knew what was going on.

"I want it back." Cyrus put his hand on his belt. "Either you return it to me, or I'll take it from you."

Barry backed off a few steps before hitting the wall of men. Chivalry was the only thing that even prompted Cyrus to give him a choice, and he knew that. The two, face to face, understood. This kind of matter wasn't something of which one could talk out. Giving up was an impossible solution as well.

"Battle," he declared.

"Excellent."


	38. Chapter 38

_**45?**_

* * *

Chapter 38: Cloque

Lucas sat in the bunker. He held every half breath, fearing the worst. Seven hours had passed since the announcement of the state of emergency, and the situation had remained a mystery. His ears glued to the police radio, Lucas heard the conflicting reports coming from all channels. Despite the rebellious Team Galactic's apparent withdrawing force, key points in the region came under serious concentrated attacks. The initial confrontations favoured law enforcements, their routes to rendezvous disappeared off the map after targeting of important officials. The understaffed police force suffered serious blowbacks from communication issues.

Lucas found himself in a predicament. He had been in the middle of clearing out the last remnants of his research here when the news hit. He grabbed everything he could and ducked down the underground. Luck had shone on him so far, as no activity seemed to want to happen in this small time. His belt had all his personal pokemons. They looked up at him inquisitively. Hands on his face, Lucas slumped. He wondered where it had all gone wrong. In this hour of need, he sat alone, no family, no friends, no colleagues. He couldn't remember the last time he left the lab to do anything worth mentioning.

The flurry of thoughts assaulted his mind, but only for so long. A knock came from the door upstairs, and drew his attention. He felt incapable of breathing, and awaited the inevitable break-in. A moment of silence passed. Presently, the handle spun, and the door creaked open.

"It's good to be home," said a croaky, masculine voice, which he recognised.

Lucas' heart leapt out of his chest.

"Where are all the equipment?" He heard another voice, this one a woman's, and also frighteningly familiar. "I swear they were still here when I left."

"No matter, we won't be needing those." Rough search noises filled the space. "Where's the boy?"

"Lucas should still be around here somewhere," the female answered. "He wouldn't have anywhere else to go either way."

Lucas, on his slow retreat to a corner, stopped dead in his track. Those words stunned him. He knew them to be true. He didn't understand the point of resisting. He knew why they looked for him, and he couldn't find it in himself to fight back. He considered, momentarily, the prospect of simply giving up. Nothing would change, he thought. His current existence proved no advantage to anyone. Even if he fought, he couldn't imagine himself winning. Four pokemons did not a successful team make, even if one were exceptionally strong. Lucas never fancied himself a trainer either, and his consistently losses to prodigies who started years after him all those years ago did a number on his self-confidence.

Motionless, Lucas pondered his choices even more. The circumstances reminded him of his nineteen years living. He couldn't think of anything truly worth it.

"There you are," the man's voice came from right behind him.

Lucas, thoughts prematurely interrupted, began sweating bullets. He knew not of what to do, as Professor Rowan approached, in his old brown jacket and blue vest.

"Lucas." He felt Roseanne's hand on his right shoulder. "Please don't make this any harder on yourself."

He didn't answer immediately. The female assistant appeared in front of him, gently guiding him toward a nearby bench. They both sat down. She had her arms over his back.

"Long time no see, boy." Rowan walked in front of the two. "How have you been?"

"Not well." Lucas sighed. He didn't feel threatened, but greatly conflicted. He turned to the woman next to him. "How much did you tell him?"

"Everything," she admitted.

"I understand your struggle, Lucas." Rowan spoke with the most care he could muster. "To have everything you've ever worked for shatter in front of your eyes. To be denied greatness simply because others couldn't comprehend your genius."

Lucas didn't immediately respond. He then understood Rowan's motivation, but his own dreams paled in comparison. He simply wanted to do his job for the rest of his life, but people instead wanted him to take the burden of it all. Such a thing was simply impossible, but he couldn't afford to let down others' expectations. In the end, there he sat.

"Where have you been all these years, professor?" The civil conversation continued.

"I reached out to the Galactic Corporation for private funding. Naturally, they immediately saw the potential of my research." The professor lightly twirled his moustache. "The rest was history."

"Mega Evolution, you said it was," Lucas recalled.

"That's right. It will revolutionise the world as we know it." It was now the professor's turn to put his hand on the boy. "We're at the tail end of my research. The future is almost here."

"Are you working with Team Galactic in this war?" Lucas asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"My goal hasn't changed," Rowan explained. "It's all for my research."

"How so?" This peaked the boy's curiosity.

"My research has progressed past the point of pure science." Rowan's eyes burnt with passion. "I require power of a select few legendary pokemons. This plan is my only means of obtaining them."

"Them." Lucas picked up a pokeball form his side. It's bottom half is normal, but the top half was clear as the dark side. Once could almost observe the galaxy spanned across the surface "This one?"

"Yes, that one." Rowan's eyes widened. His pupil dilated, pulsing in excitement.

He moved his hands closer towards the pokeball, as if worried about spooking the boy. No such thing happened, however, and he gave up the prized possession easily.

"Thanks, Lucas," Roseanne commented. "You did a lot for science today."

"I won't forget you, boy." The Professor grabbed the boy by the cheeks and kissed his forehead in sheer enthusiasm. "Your contribution will be massive, and don't you ever think otherwise."

Lucas smiled weakly.

Soon, he found himself alone once again. He left the bunker, feeling safe, and walked to the approaching dusk outside. The grass of this unlit town brushed across his ankle. The wind rushed through his dark locks like a stream of doubt. He shook his head. He had already made his decision, and there was no going back.

The loud honking of a pickup truck crushed the serene atmosphere. From the off end of the town's connecting road, the vehicle dashed across the fields before stopping directly in front of him. The passenger door burst open, and Dawn ran out. Before he could ask, she grabbed him into her embrace.

"Luke!" He could sense the genuine concern in her voice. "Thank god you're ok. We need to go before they get you!"

"What are you doing here?" He managed that much.

"You must have heard the news, right?" Lucas could only nod. "The attacks were just a distraction. They wanted to get the pokemons. They already got Barry!"

"No," Lucas staggered backward.

"We have to leave before they get you too." Dawn grabbed him by the arm, but he didn't budge.

"That won't be necessary." His voice turned solemn. "Professor Rowan was just here."

"What?" Dawn turned her head, inquisitive and doubtful. "That can't be. He wouldn't give up so easily. Did he get what he wanted?"

"I gave it to him," Lucas replied. It wasn't the whole truth, but he wanted to know something first.

Dawn slowly let him go, and stared at him in disbelief.

"Why, Lucas?" She struggled. "I would understand him taking it by force, but you just gave it to him?"

"What else do I have left to lose?" He breathed heavily. "Nothing makes a difference to me anyway."

"How could you say that?" Dawn protested. "Your family is still waiting for you, Luke. You can still turn this around. Your future doesn't have to end right now."

"It's too late now," he exclaimed.

"No it isn't," Dawn cut him off. "This can still be salvaged. You can still be your own man, Luke. You can't give up now." She grabbed his hands and cupped them between hers. "I believe in you."

Presently, he broke down. This caught Dawn off guard, as she hastily tried to help him up.

"I'm sorry, Dawn." Overcame by emotions, Lucas stooped on his knees. He punched the ground until his fingers bled. "I'm sorry."

"Lucas,"

Dawn tried to reason with him, but Lucas surprised her by reaching to his waist. After a moment of fumbling, he handed her a pokeball. It was just a regular one, as unassuming in its appearance as possible.

"You'd need this." He closed in into her palm.

"Is this…" Dawn couldn't tell from the outside, but she suddenly realised.

"Go get them, Dawn." Lucas uttered with the last of his strength.

"I will!" She pulled him into another hug. "Thank you. This means everything."

Lucas watched as she departed the scene. Out of it, he couldn't make out who the driver was, but it mattered very little. He trusted that Professor Rowan would be very upset when the man found out just what he had received. It would already be too late then. Somewhere along the lines, he grasped the fact that he never stopped believing. Leading Dawn through that act might have been unnecessary, but he wanted to make sure.

Now that he has, he could rest easy.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Airdura

The truck dashed across the meadows.

Dawn stared out of the passenger-side window, to see the declining sun giving chase. The night approached rapidly, and she hadn't much time. Soon Team Galactic will be aware that the last pokemon they had been looking for was in her hands, and she had only so long to use it before causing another costly battle.

She turned to her side. Her driver, Hayley, was a chestnut-haired farm girl with a blue short skirt and this truck. She had her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road, transfixed with breaking all of the proverbial speed limits. At the back of the vehicle sat Bebe, whom she contacted earlier for transportation. The girl had been residing at her friend Hayley's ranch ever since hers got caught in the fire of Hearthome city, and instantly responded to Dawn's call for help. Both of them insisted on coming, for which Dawn was thankful. A couple of hands on deck was always welcome, and her own driving skill weren't something of which to be proud.

The car headed for north. She lost contact with Looker when he came to Veilstone city, and she will go after him. It's to be expected, of course, that Team Galactic HQ will be the centre of the operation, abusing exploits of the most powerful cooperation in the region in order to subtly fund all of these researches and weapons. It would not surprise her if there were a blockade around Veilstone city by the time they arrived. They had taken the residence as hostage, and used them as leverage against assaults from international police. She planned to strike where the iron was hot, take them out before collateral climbed to absurd amounts.

She had yet to be able to contact anyone regarding this plan. Everyone she knew who could help seemed to have simply dropped off the map. She could only hope they were helping elsewhere, but more likely Team Galactic had them specifically taken out as a measure of precaution. She saw this when trying to find Barry, only to find out that both him and Candice had been captured. The rest of the gym leaders might have followed suit. Only one person even picked up her call.

"Dawn," Hayley's words yanked the girl back into reality. "We're almost there."

"Right."

Dawn diverted her attention to the path ahead. She expected a barricade, and she received nothing less. Team Galactic had managed to erect a two-story reinforced concrete wall in the meantime. They practically held Veilstone in their pockets before the fighting even began. The truck stopped half a kilometre away from the barrier in order to stay outside the sight of patrols.

"What now?" Hayley asked.

"We have to find a way in," Dawn replied.

Her initial assessments lead them to believe ramming the car straight through a closed gate would not accomplish much. In fact, she hadn't even seen any, open or closed. This puzzled her. Haylet, in the mean time, climbed on the back of the truck where Bebe was. The blonde was working on her laptop; she ran her fingers through the keyboard in speedy motions, barely comprehensible. Windows on the screen appeared and vanished at a rapid pace, while giant blocks of code rose and fell with every stroke.

"Satellites data is here." This caught Dawn's attention, as she climbed next to them. "There doesn't seem to be an obvious entrance anywhere I can see."

"Is it hidden under the forest cover somehow?" Dawn asked.

"Maybe, but those places will be where security is most prepared," said Bebe.

"Nothing we can do about that." Dawn deemed it as the only course of action.

"We're going for a drive then," Hailey remarked, as Dawn and her returned to the front seats.

The car began picking up speed once again, and circled the parameter for any hidden gates beneath the intense foliage. Thirty minutes went by, and they had yet to find anything of the sort. Presently, Bebe knocked at them through the back window.

"What is it?" Dawn removed the glass layer between them.

"We're not going to get anywhere like this."

Bebe turned her laptop around so the other two could see her screen. It showed an infa-red view of the entire compound. The wall, from what they could see, was a entirely solid rectangle cutting off the entire city from the outside world.

"How can there be no gates?" As time drew short, so did Dawn's patience. "They have to get in and out somehow."

"There're strategically placed aircraft landings throughout," Bebe explained.

"We could just fly in," said Hayley. She had already stopped the car, and had her legs on the dashboard while she rummaged the glove compartment.

"Hayley." Bebe sighed. "They're not just going to let us do that."

"Why not?"

Dawn and Bebe looked at each other, at a loss for words. Hayley simply waited for them, and adjusted her pink striped shirt and tie.

"I would imagine they have some anti-air measures," Bebe finally broke the silence.

"Well that's a shame." Hayley appeared genuinely disappointed. "Y'all have a better idea?"

"Actually." Dawn was then seriously considering the possibility.

"What are you thinking Dawn?" Bebe didn't like the look of it one bit.

"Hayley." Dawn got the cowgirl's attention. "How exactly do you think we can fly in?"

"Well don't y'all have flying pokemons?" Hayley responded.

"I don't," Bebe replied.

"But don't you make the pokemon transfer thing?" This was Bebe's job description to the best of her friend's knowledge. "Thought you have a bunch then?"

"It doesn't work like that." Bebe knew from the start that talks of her profession will only serve to confuse. "Anyway Dawn what are you getting at?"

Dawn took another few seconds. "I fully expect them to prepare for us if we were to just fly in uninvited, but what if we do it a way they wouldn't expect?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bebe craned an eyebrow, as Dawn pulled Hayley to the side.

The two began whispering back and forth, and this displeased her. They were doing this obviously to keep her intentionally out of the loop. They got this far together, and she could not think of why they would need to have secrets. Soon enough, the two broke off, coy smiles on their faces.

"I'll just take this." Dawn grabbed Bebe's laptop and slid it into a backpack, before carrying it to her driver seat.

"What are you doing?" Bebe remained incredulous.

Hayley had no intentions of answering. Instead, she grabbed her belt and popped open an array of pokeballs. An entire pack of greyish brown birds came onto the scene. Their red eyes darted about, golden beaks squawked at their trainer. Hayley smiled and waved at them, before turning to her blonde friend.

"Let's go Bebe." She gently urge her friend toward the driver seat.

"What?" Bebe protested, to no avail.

"We two reckon you oughta let loose one in a while."

Not another word before Hayley lifted her friend up by the hip, and let her fall on the driver seat on top. This came as such a surprise Bebe had to cling onto the seat so as to not fumble out. Hayley closed the door, pull down her pink shades, and put on her straw cowboy hat. She snapped her fingers, causing the staraptors to descend onto the truck. They picked up the two-tonne steel contraption with remarkable strength and carried it into the air.

"You're not doing what I think you're doing." Bebe had finally regained her balance, only to be met with the bird's eye view.

"It'll be over in a jiffy." Hayley grabbed the wheels, as Dawn quickly strapped into the seatbelts.

The birds began to fly forward, carrying the vehicle with them. Soon they were in close view of the barrier, and saw Team Galactic's patrol pointing at them in surprise. Before they could properly devise a plan to react, the staraptor pack had already moved the truck over the walls.

"They're coming!" The response team had already arrived. They summoned pokemons in preparation to knock the truck out of the sky.

"Hold on, Be." Hayley whistled to her birds, causing them to let go of their grip.

They went into freefall.

Hayley slammed on the gas, while the other two clung desperately onto their seats. The car suffered a rough landing upon impact, but began to move almost immediately after. This left the patrols stunned, unable to react in time. When they gathered their thoughts enough to give chase, the truck was already out of view and en route to the heart of the city.

"Yeehaw!"

"Are you insane?" Bebe exclaimed, shaking. "That could've easily killed us."

"We're fine, Be." Hayley wiped away the strands of frightened tears from her friend's eyes. "A lil' rougher than I thought is all."

"Why couldn't you just tell me first?" The blonde girl objected to Dawn.

"You wouldn't have gone through with it," Dawn replied with a weak smile, still catching her breath. "I didn't quite expect that, though."

"I hate you two." Bebe sighed. That frightened her more than her house burning down that one time.

"Oh don't be mad." Hayley hugged her friend from behind, a little bit to fiercely. "Wasn't that fun?"

They drove into the enveloping night.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Angora

The truck broke down half a mile away from Team Galactic HQ. The trio carried on under the guise of the falling dusk. The city declared a state of emergency in the wake of their stunt, and specialised guard squads scoured restlessly in search of the perpetrator. In the shadows, Dawn observed their movement with great caution. This large rock formation provided them with adequate cover, though they must remain careful lest patrol helicopters spot them from above.

"We're close," she said.

Bebe tapped away on her keyboard, occasionally slamming her full palm onto it in frustration. Her laptop screen displayed the kind of matrix information that caused the less competent to steer clear, but she deemed even that inadequate.

"What 'cha doing?" Hayley poked her head into view.

"Trying to prevent us from having to go in blind."

"Meaning?"

"Nothing, apparently." Bebe slammed her screen shut. "They shut down all outgoing communications on a hardware level, there's nothing I can do."

"So what do we do?"

"Same thing we've always done," Dawn interjected. "We ride this out."

"Sounds like my kind 'a plan." Hayley put her cowboy hat back on, eager and excited.

Bebe sighed, and packed up to follow the two. She tried, truly. Her equipment proved useless, and with them her skills. She possessed no battle prowess, nor even a pokémon on hand. The best thing she thought of doing was keeping out of the way.

Twenty minutes and very little progress later, the three took a moment to contemplate their position. In the middle two crossroads, they stood three blocks away from the elevated platform that was their target. Someone had ordered a serious improvement in the tightness of the enemy's patrol webs. A randomness had been introduced to these teams, alternating their positions, timings, and compositions. No weaknesses lasted long enough to be taken advantage.

"So how do we `ride this out`?" Bebe asked, lost.

"Unfortunately we can't exactly let the staraptors carry us again." Dawn smiled as her friend glared daggers. "Can't just rush it either."

"So we're going to try being sneaky," Hayley continued. "But we haven't quite figured out how yet."

"Azelf can make help make us invisible for a while," Dawn explained. "I don't think he has enough energy to keep it up for such a distance though."

Bebe stepped back for a moment, scouring her brain for thoughts. It came, eventually.

"If there were less of us, would that help?" she suggested.

"I'm not leaving you behind," Dawn protested.

"Trust me, I'm much more useful out here than in there with you."

Not waiting for an approval, she went straight for her laptop once more. The idea of being useful again revitalised her. The other two still couldn't discern exactly what her plan would be, but they had no choice but to wait.

"Does that mean you're staying here?" Dawn asked.

Bebe rummaged through her backpack for a pair of small headsets. "Wear this." She threw it at her friend, before putting one on herself.

"I guess that's a yes." Dawn turned to Hayley. "What about you?"

"I got nothing but birds, Dawn," the farm girl replied. "I'm staying with my girl here."

"I'm not-" Bebe didn't finish, instead kept her attention on the screen. "Better get going, Dawn."

Dawn nodded, and expanded a wave farewell. She understood that it had to be this way. Companions were nice to have in these situations, but she needed to rely on herself at the end of the day. Besides, she had those who will never leave her at all times.

A press of a button released Azelf from its pokeball. After a brief moment of stretching, the grey blue fairy conjured a semi-translucent purple aura, which enveloped both itself and its master. As far as anyone was concerned, they moved unseen. Hayley watched this process unfolded, with thoughts raced through her mind. In all her years of collecting information on pokémon, common or rare, she had never seen or heard of a move like this. Due to pressing time, she won't ask, but it was definitely something of which to take a mental note. This new friend of hers was becoming more interesting by the minute.

Dawn broke off from their hiding spot and began to walk straight toward the corporate skyscraper at the end of the route. Unbeknownst to most observable, there was no such thing as an invisibility spell, certainly not of this capacity. Azelf created, and maintained, a complex formation of light screens, reflecting incoming light from all sources such as to create the illusion of transparency. Due to this fact, it would not hold up to close inspection, nor allowed her to move quickly. She took a step forward, and the entire setup moved with her. This pain-staking pace continued for an entire half hour until she finally arrived at the front gate. Retracting Azelf when the coast cleared, she considered her options. Time was of the essence, if she wanted to end this as quickly as possible to minimise loss. The tower had been rebuilt since the last time she had been here, but it retained its defining features. Then twenty stories high instead of five, the four columns with unusual height at the corner had meld into the roof itself, creating a spiky golden crown of a ceiling. A ten-metre tall stylised solid gold letter G situated in the front served no purpose but to show the immense amount of wealth this corporation had been able to absorb from the region since its inception. Dawn had no means of infiltrating the parameter, since patrolling houndooms didn't care for visibility.

"Bebe."

"You're in?" The voice of her blonde friend whispered through the earpiece.

"I'm just outside," she responded. "There are a lot of patrols in the inner courtyard as well."

"I can do something about that." Bebe's voice intensified, unable to mask the nerves. "Be prepared to get in quickly."

"Do what?" Despite the question, Dawn prepared her pokémon in hand.

"Good luck."

The signal was lost. Loud noises came from where the other two were. Dawn turned to see the giant staraptor flock on display, squawking as fierce as they could to draw attention. On cue, the front gate burst open, and a significant amount of guards collapsed onto the birds from all directions. Dawn's rotom entered the scene. Infusing itself into the electrical wiring, it granted her access to the defence system of the courtyard while the guards were distracted. Unable to find a back entry, Dawn had to commit to the least obvious one. She commanded her togekiss to carry her upward, while simultaneously set off a reaction across the cameras situated across the field. Sparks flying caused distress in what remained of the guards. The patrol houndooms began to bark with vigour, and forced their handler to restrain them. This allowed Dawn to glide down the front door, and the chaos masked her entrance. Inspection of the first floor hallway revealed very little. The electricity system inside were isolated, so she had no means of messing with them, and unable to recover her rotom.

"Bebe?" She reached for her earpiece once more, but received no answers.

Truly alone, Dawn had no choice but to carry on. She observed no signs that she had yet been detected, but the trouble the other two had made should have set off quite a few red flags. Curiously enough, despite the abundant presence of security cameras, she spotted no personnel. Using Azelf's light screen once again, Dawn moved toward the elevator without any contention. The transport required a key card, but Looker had already given her an updated one for this newer builder prior, which allowed her to travel without problems. The lift had a button for the three basement levels as well as twenty-four above ground ones.

Twenty-three levels up, Dawn walked into a carbon copy of the old Galactic rallying hall. They plastered the team's banner left and right, with a raised platform and a podium in the middle. The red and gold striped motif made itself home here, with silk wallpaper running across the erected space. The hall was empty, as all personnel had been mobilised to deal with the coming threat. Dawn stood in the middle of the oversized chamber, and it felt suffocating.

"Welcome." The familiar, hoarse, condescending voice Dawn didn't miss echoed across the room.

She looked about, and determined it to simply be a transmission. There was no one in here but her. She walked into a trap as expected, but what the nature of it remained unknown.

"Professor," she replied, her words ice cold.

"I believe you have something I want."

"Come and take it," she taunted back.

"You've always been quite the prodigy, child." She couldn't believe his voice became even more smug. "Unfortunately, you're never been quite as smart as the others."

Presently, vines shot through the open air and had her arms on lock. Dawn struggled in vain as Mars and her tangela entered the scene. Dawn prepared to shout, but the blue, grassy pokémon wrapped her mouth shut. It drew her in closer, and began to release green and yellow spores on top of its victim. Unable to resist the induced drowsiness, she quickly fell unconscious.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Coir

The sight of the metallic bird blocked her view. Its wings cut through the dark air, creating drafts of winds that dripped across her face. Red steel feathers lit a beacon in the night, and carved a path to follow. Behind, the deep blue draconic shark breezed through the air in an effort to keep pace. She sat on top, blonde tresses falling over the left eye.

"We're almost here," said the cyan-haired man atop the grey bird.

Cynthia looked down in response. Another half minute and they will have flown directly into Team Galactic's patrolling helicopter. The ruins of a once forefront Veilstone city lay bare beneath the chilling concrete parameter surrounding Team Galactic HQ.

"This is it."

"You seem hopeful." Steven flashed a playful grin. "I figured you'd at least be slightly worried."

"No strength." Cynthia sighed, rested her eyes, and leant to the side. "Two days without sleep."

"You shouldn't overwork yourself, else someone's going to be really mad you don't show up at the finish line."

That line earned a chuckle out of her, before they returned to the situation at hand. The two had spent the last ten hours flying all over the region to support local officer's attempt to contain Team Galactic's advances. Since the recent arrival of the international police force, they switched to reconnaissance. Veilstone city was the last bastion under Team Galactic's control, and here they were to report back the state of affairs. They expected to run into detractions, but no plan to fight the leaders directly meant the mission promised to be quick.

The moment they entered hostile airspace, alarms began to ring. Nearby helicopters instantly reacted. A host of electivires aboard these rotorcrafts aimed their antennae toward the intruders. Their red eyes lit up, before they discharged bolts of electricity directly at the fliers. Already Cynthia's spiritomb leapt forward, and erected a protective barrier to temporary shield them from harm. Steven's claydol picked up the slack by setting up a combination of light screen and protect, which allowed the two trainers a breather before committing to a course of action.

"We have what we need," said Cynthia, who prepared to leave.

"I'm getting a transmission on the emergency radio channel."

Steven tuned his communicator, which attracted the attention of his companion. They both listened in as the radio waves synced up. After a few seconds of static, they began to hear discernible words.

"… anyone there?" A young, rougher female voice. "Hello?"

"Who's this?" Asked Steven.

The voice hesitated. "Are you with Team Galactic?"

"No."

"We're under the Department Store. There're 3 of us, one's injured, and Team Galactic's banging on the basement door."

Steven and Cynthia looked at each other. This could be a trap. It's impossible that the enemy knew they were coming, but this trap might not even be for them. It sounded entirely too convenient to take in all at once.

"Can you-"

"We need help now!"

Communication shut off. The two looked at each other again, before the amassing number of enemies surrounding reminded them of their own situation. Cynthia nodded, and they both retracted their flier at the same time. Dropping to the ground at maximum velocity, Cynthia's milotic appeared, which let them slid off its smooth serpentine body into a safe landing. Luckily, the bright red and half crushed Veilstone Department Store stood nearby their position. The first thing they saw, however, were patrol groups, and a myriad of puruglies and houndooms standing in their way. Steven's metagross entered the field in this state, giving them a platform to trample over the unsuspecting opposition. This threat came in too fiercely for the ground force of team Galactic to respond properly, and gave them a window of opportunity to dive head first into this bad idea. The four-legged metal beast dropped them off in front of the building, before ramming its feet into the structure itself, acting as a metal shield and protecting the area from the Galactic grunts' siege. Its master and his companion sprinted forward, until they found themselves in front of a steel storage gate. An initial knock resulted in nothing.

"Are you in there?" Steven asked, cautious still. "We heard you needed help."

"We need proof you're not hostile." The girl from the communicator was inside.

"Please, we're trying to-"

Cynthia's hand appearing in front stopped Steven from speaking. Her lucario inched forward, projecting its right palm in a slow and controlled manner until it was a mere hair's touch away from the gate.

"Stand back," she commanded.

A power sphere emerged from the canine Pokémon's clenched fist, then wrapped around its limbs like a pair of gloves. The lucario swiftly punched a hole through the metal door, before ripping the newly torn space into a human-sized opening.

"Wait!" The girl pleaded. "I'll open the door."

Cynthia ordered her pokémon to stand back, as the storage gate slowly lifted open. Inside were three, as described. A girl, chestnut-haired, dressed in a pink shirt, and belted blue short skirt huddled at a corner, suffering from an injury to her side. Tending to her was a blonde, tank top and shorts, kneeling over the wound. Last was the girl with the transceiver, pink hair perked to both sides, donning nothing but sweat pants and a sports bra, looking ready to fight. She had various medical tapes glued to various areas, which seemed due to training rather than injury. Her machamp stood right by, flexing its muscles in a desperate attempt of intimidation, as it looked plenty exhausted as was.

"Identify yourself," she demanded.

"Cynthia, archaeologist."

"Steven, Hoenn League Champion."

The pink-haired girl needed a moment to take that in, before letting her guard down completely, and collapsed onto the floor in fatigue. Steven hurried to help her on her feet.

"Thank you so much." Her words radiated gratefulness. "I'm Maylene, Veilstone's gym leader. I've been trying to help these two over there get to safety, before we got trapped in here."

Cynthia approached the two at the back. The injured one seemed to have received a large, fiery bite from one of the houndooms. The wound had stopped bleeding, but it didn't help to alleviate the excruciating pain. The blonde girl turned back to see an approaching stranger, but in this conditions she had no choice but to hope for the best.

"Stand back."

She obliged. Cynthia released her roserade, which used its petals to sprinkle a pouch of lavender powder onto the injured girl. She soon stopped squirming in pain, and drifted asleep. This allowed enough freedom for her friend to wrap bandages around the wound, and hoped that would be adequate for now.

"Thank you." The girl bowed to Cynthia.

"She needs to be in a hospital," Cynthia commented. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," the blonde girl anxiously rubbed her hands together. "We have another friend outside, though, but lost contact with her a while back."

"There's another?"

"Yes, our last contact with Dawn was when she tried to infiltrate the HQ."

Cynthia froze. In this split moment, her mind raced to explain this new piece of information. She had just been informed that Dawn was here. Worse yet, the girl was missing. This mission was never supposed to be this drawn out, and her mental state was simply lacking. Nevertheless, she recognised that she was never presented with a choice.

"Why is," she collected herself. "Why did you three come here in the first place?"

"Dawn called on me to help because she couldn't get in touch with official channels." The girl gently gripped her unconscious friend's hand. "I called on Hayley because we needed a ride."

"Did she have new information?"

"Not at first. She just wanted to check up on her friends," the girl continued. "When we got to Snowpoint, though, we realised that Team Galactic were covertly targeting specific people."

"Like?"

"Barry, when we went to Snowpoint city, and Lucas, when we went to Sandgem town, if I recall correctly." The girl scoured her memory for these details. "Team Galactic were apparently looking to get a couple of important pokémons from them."

Cynthia stepped back and analysed this news. It became apparent that the war Team Galactic had been raging might have been merely a well thought out sham, since she received no notices of attacks on either of the previously mentioned locations. If what the girl said were indeed correct, Cyrus must have been returning to his old tricks of trying to reshape the world once again. If so, he might already have had all the pieces he needed.

"Steven," she called to her partner. "Get these girls out of here."

"Without you?"

"Without me," she affirmed. "We have been misled. The danger level is now critical, and we need all available personnel."

Steven didn't immediately answer, instead took a good look at the situation around him. She just asked him to not only escape, but to carry at least two extra burdens on himself, while carrying what could be the most important message of this operation. All of this without giving him a single explanation. He sighed.

"Good luck."

"And to you."

Cynthia ran toward the entrance, while Steven and Maylene scrambled to help get the other two moving.


	42. Chapter 42

_**3**_

* * *

Chapter 42: Zephyr

Rowan fixed his tie, and brushed the dust off of his white lab coat. He had never been a fan of such restrictive conventions, but for this moment, the novelty value trumped his senses. At times, the man contemplated revenge against the greedy, backward-thinking scientific community who drove him out. This moment, however, he was at peace.

"Professor," a smoky female voice called to him.

Rowan peered about from his seat. The lab was empty, as it should be. The lone door stood in darkness, while the fluorescent lights remained unpowered. He lit a cigarette, and turned to the entrance. A dark, slender figure emerged, blonde tresses falling over her black fur coat.

"My favourite pupil."

Cynthia came into full view, grey eyes staring down the man. He exhaled a puff of smoke, then quickly extinguished the distraction.

"Where's Dawn?"

"I see you have no intentions of catching up." He smirked. "Shame, as this might be the last time."

"I won't repeat myself."

"I don't expect it."

The moment of civility broke when Cynthia touched her trainer belt. Rowan instantaneously reached into this coat pockets. Bright flashes overwhelmed the room, and the floor began to crumble. Cynthia backed her way into a nearby window, and jumped out. Her garchomp caught her in mid-air, and granted a safe distance. From outside, she could see the marvellously arrogant Galactic HQ building beginning to crumble. Giant rocky limbs expanded from inside, mercilessly piercing holes into the outside. The hands, wrapped inside a golden band, swatted about in wanton destruction, while the foliage-covered feet carried onward. In an instant, those red, blue, and silver gemstones defaced the structure entirely, leaving nothing but ruins in its wake. Team Galactic forces outside scrambled for cover, as the colossal Regigigas arrived in full view.

Rowan sat atop the monstrosity, inside a shrub on its shoulders, and ordered it to attack. Despite its massive height, the slow and clumsy movement of such a pokémon proved unable to get a hold of Cynthia and her agile flying shark dragon. The garchomp took point far from reach, and rendered all offensive attempts useless. Recognising the futility, Rowan knew he had to change pace. He threw a pokeball forward, as the blue gems of Regigigas glowed. It exerted a striking ray of light that consumed the instrument, and released the power inside. A crystallised glacier pokémon spawned forth, conical blue ice forming its limbs, body, and spikes on its back. The regice pulled its hands together, and extended those six fingers outward. The air solidified and burst into view, shooting toward Cynthia.

With distance no longer an advantage, she ordered her garchomp to break into defensive manoeuvres. The ice beams quickly became solid poles across the sky. Regice's fingers wrapped downward, and created shards out of them. These projectiles flew directly at the enemy. Before they could make collision, a veil of water erupted from Cynthia's position. Her milotic gradually absorbed these shards into the ring, before crushing them under the vortex's pressure, into harmless sparkles. The cream-coloured serpent then poised to strike, lunging at Rowan's position from a distance. Unable to command his pokémon to react fast enough, he had little choice but to called forth yet another titan. Regigigas' red gems signalled the coming of the spherical metal pokémon. Arms extended, it reached out to block the milotic's attack. The serpent used the momentum to wrap itself around the registeel, before both of them plunged down into the earth.

Not missing a beat, the last of the titan trio appeared in a flash of silver light. Slamming the ground with its massive arms, the regirock sent chunks of stone upward, aimed straight at the enemy. Regice took the queue to call forth a blizzard from above. Unable to move either up or down, Cynthia had no choice but to steer her garchomp directly at the enemy in the hopes of escaping these fearsome attacks. Unbeknownst to her, Regigigas had gotten over its slow start, and began to ramp up its offence. The titanic creature stormed directly at her. Desperate, she summoned an Odd Keystone. Her spiritomb projected itself into corporeal form for an instant, before its black energy absorbed its trainer and itself into a dark portal, passing directly through the incoming colossus. The garchomp was not so lucky, as it took the full brunt of Regigigas' body, and dropped.

Cynthia found herself on the other side of the battle, having just emerged from the portal. It didn't take long for her to realise the ground rapidly catching up to her. The Odd Keystone had by now fallen out of her reach. Hoping to break her fall, she reached for a pokeball, but the Regigigas' massive grip did that job. It didn't even register in her nervous system that she was in the hand of a two hundred thousand tonne colossus, before it began to bring her closer.

Her pain receptors began to flicker back to life. The sensations of every unhealed wound, of every bit of flesh, of every bristling bone hit her at once. She screamed in agony, and gasped desperately for air as if there was none. Regigigas' arm stopped when it reached the top. There Rowan stood, safe and sweaty.

"I should crush you right here and now." He had every ability to do so. "However, forcing you to watch this world fall apart is a far sweeter victory."

Cynthia had no quip left. The impact had left her organs in tatters, and if she could focus enough to taste, no doubt she could identify the bitter stream leaking out the corner of her mouth. The numbness set in slowly but surely, and soon she could almost control herself again. Rowan's smile was a grandeur one, as if to greet a friend of old age into oblivion, and an encouragement to reciprocate.

Cynthia had no such intentions.

In this moment of great sorrow, she accounted her faults. This situation could have been avoided, but she deliberately chose not to do so. In her infinite arrogance, she envisioned winning this fight without her full strength, and conserving some assistance to offer during the inevitable final battle yet to come. Then, however, she was lucky to be alive. The full power of these legendary pokémons could not simply be quenched by sheer force of will.

A loud, large crackle appeared within the titan's grip. Rowan ceased his amusement. More crackles appeared, and they spread through to the colossus' wrist. As the Regigigas withered away in pain, Cynthia's lucario parted the cracks and carried its master on their way downward. Her milotic slithered in, and used its tail to guide the two into a soft landing. Visibly annoyed, Rowan called forth the last of his squad. Heatran settled itself next to him, and began shooting large balls of fire toward the enemies below. The milotic once again put up its aqua ring, temporary protecting Cynthia from the intense heat. Regigigas recovered from previous damage, and slammed its fists at her. The water barrier broke immediately, and her lucario did its best to shield them off with a sphere, just enough for them to be out of immediate harm's way. As the attack finally went down, the tremors sent her rolling a few feet away.

Rowan did not allow her time to recollect. He ordered the titan back into assault mode. Hailstorms, earthquakes, and pure unstoppable strength ravaged the scene. Despite their best efforts, her pokémons stood no chance of turning the situation around, and being only defensive was difficult enough as was. She stood up straight as the fight drew to a close. Her roserade entered the field at this late stage. Instead of participating in the losing battle, it created a leaf storm to carry her into the sky.

Under this moonlit night, Cynthia floated in the air. She had come to terms with the fact that this battle will be her last. Heatran's fiery assault had caught up with the last of her remaining team member, and the leaf storm evaporated. She was now in free fall.

A rift appeared behind her, swirling of unstable energy. Rays of light beamed from within, as the diameter grew. A head of a large being entered existence. Its face, grey and angled, swooped down to catch the falling woman on its glorious mane. The rest of the white equine appeared in full view. The dark grey stripes ran across its underside, and the yellow, slanted hooves created waves when they landed. The golden cross wheel strapped across its abdomen began to shine, as the coloration on its head emitted power. The sheer force of energy being gathered exceeded imagination, and the suction alone was great enough to nearly topple the titans. Rubbles, trees, and concrete swirled into the gravity of the forming vortex. Rowan could not comprehend what he was seeing. As a man of science, what he was witnessing belonged to the tales of legend. It was at that moment that he saw Cynthia's unforgiving gaze upon him.

"Judgement."

Arceus propelled the stored energy into the atmosphere, which parted the clouds, and reddened the heavens. An immense explosion ruptured the sky, sending countless of meteor bombardments at the earth below. The rain of fire and asteroid was not one for immaculate control or prejudice, as the entire city became its ground zero. The remnants of Team Galactic still present received no pity, as the screams of doomsday filled the air. As the earth began to drown in flames, Rowan remained speechless. He could not oppose this kind of power, despite which he already commanded. One by one his team fell. In this last moment of clarity, his mind can no longer fathom the future.


	43. Chapter 43

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Chapter 43: Aertex

The sky crackled.

Dawn groaned; her consciousness began to return. She moved her hands to wipe her eyes, but found it to be impossible. A second try told her she was bound. Panic started to set in. She screamed for help, but her lips were taped shut. Unable to struggle out of bondage, she could do little but to suffer the imprisonment. The only sense she had left was her hearing, and she had heard plenty. No more than a few dozen yards off were terrifying exertions of cosmic power. She couldn't ever forget the sound of rippling time and space, boiling a chaotic combination to bring the world to destruction.

She wept.

Helpless, Dawn only recalled her grave mistakes. Knowingly walking into a trap was one thing, but to have let her guard down so much to be captured and taken advantage of was simply too much. The stakes were even higher than before, yet it didn't feel that way until now. If Cyrus succeeded, everything she knew would be no more, and that frightened her like never before. She struggled once more, but the cold metallic surface stopped her dead.

After an undetermined amount of time Dawn realised she was not alone in the vicinity.

"Hello there." A female voice emanated from a familiar source. "Remember me?"

Dawn could not answer, but she grunted lightly. Mars smiled, before ridding of the blindfold that had covered the girl's eyes, which revealed the cell inside a van. The older woman smirked at those hateful, teary grey eyes glaring back. She cupped her fingers around the girl's chin, turning her head side to side.

"Master Cyrus is too busy to bother with you, but I certainly am not." Mars grinned. "If the world's ending anyways, I might as well take this chance to hurt you a little bit."

Dawn huffed and shook her head, but Mars forced it straight with her palm.

"Look at how pathetic you are without your precious pokémons." She gave a light slap on the girl's cheeks. "Just a helpless little girl. Don't worry, I'll-"

Mars collapsed under an unexpected blow to the back of her neck. Absorbed in her monologue, she didn't notice three shadowy figures creeping up behind her, promptly knocking her out. Dawn, however, could not be more grateful to see them.

"Sorry we're late." Looker bent down and untied her limbs. "We had to wait until someone with the keys open the car."

"We have to move fast, detective," said Saturn. His toxicroak was what caught Mars off guard. "More patrols will be here soon if they don't see Mars coming back."

"Right." The detective helped Dawn on her feet as she removed the tape around her mouth. "Can you walk?"

"Yes," she murmured.

The bitter taste disturbed her greatly, but there was no time for that. The three of them exited the van with haste, and dashed behind cover. Being outside, Dawn realised that she was at Spear Pillar all this time. The sky remained dark, but off the edge of the cliff there existed two gigantic legendary pokémons. Dialga and Palkia aimed at the distance, blasting power continuously into the ether. She had seen this before. They were trying to destabilise the physical realm, and without Giratina to stop it this time around, they will succeed.

The three crept up the staircase, until they arrived at the top level where the pillars were. Here the guard layer was too strong, thus they had to relegate to more hiding and surveying for information. Behind the line, Cyrus stood, staring intensely at the vortex being created. This was his new world, he knew, and he would do everything in his power to get it. Seven years this plan had been in the making, and it was so close now. To his sides were two ritual shrines, one held the Lustrous Orb, the other held the Adamant Orb. It is the power from these artefacts that gave him control over Dialga and Palkia.

"Is that yours?" Looker pointed Dawn toward the brown leather trainer belt to the side of Cyrus.

"Yes it is." She narrowed her eyes. There's nothing she could do without it, and that might be her first target.

"What do we do?"

"Do you see those orbs?" Cynthia pointed at the altars. "This process will be interrupted if those aren't there."

She knew very well the mythical capabilities of these artefacts. Years ago, these were what allowed Dawn to capture the legends in the first place, which she entrusted to Barry and Lucas. The orbs themselves were buried in secret under the soils of Oreburgh city. Every past incident all led up to this, but she never guessed the magnitude and savagery of these operations.

"I can distract those guards somehow, but nothing more," Saturn said. He took in a few deep breaths, and readied himself. "You're going to have to deal with Cyrus himself."

"Saturn." Looker placed his hand on the blue-haired man. "You're a good man."

"It's the least I can do." The two man shook hands. "Sorry for getting you into this mess, detective."

Dawn was confused as to the subject of their talk, but signalled for them to hush when sudden activities were spotted. A lower level Team Galactic grunt ran, out of breath with every step, toward Cyrus. The Team Galactic's leader expressed incredulity at first sight. The three perked their ears to catch any new information.

"Why are you interrupting me?" He bellowed, clearly annoyed.

"I'm sorry master Cyrus, but I have emergency news from Veilstone city," the grunt mouthed.

"Speak," Cyrus commanded, intrigued.

"The international police force had taken over our Headquarters sir, and they're coming this way."

"How is that possible?" He roared. "Didn't I leave Rowan back to prevent this precise sort of thing from happening?"

"Sir, our intelligence report that when the international police arrived, the city was already ruins." A turn of events no one expected. "Nearby scouts said that this was due to a clash between the professor and a blonde woman in black, most likely Sinnoh's ex-champion."

"What happened to him then, did he lose?"

"He perished in the battle sir."

"Darn." Cyrus could not believe it. His right hand man was defeated despite the fearsome array of pokémons he possessed. "What about the woman?"

"There were no survivors at all, sir."

Dawn felt her breathing stop. Cold sweat trailed her skin like ice. She tried to fight the sensation of choking, but struggled to even breathe. Looker immediately noticed the change in body language, and eased her down to a lying position. His hands massaged her chest to smooth out the breathing. After a moment, it had calmed down.

"How are you feeling?" He didn't know what to say next.

"She already gave up everything." Her speech was devoid of emotion, but her eyes were not. The overload was too much to bear. "She didn't deserve this."

"I'm sorry." Looker couldn't face the look in those eyes.

"Like hell you are." Her tone began to shake. "You, and everyone else was just fine with letting her bear all your burdens, and she never once complained. Yet when it comes down to it, she was the one who had to die."

"Dawn," the detective looked for words, but found none. "Please."

"And me." She covered her eyes with her arm, and wept silently. "This ungrateful little brat didn't even get to say goodbye."

Looker and Saturn turned to each other, speechless. This grief wasn't something for them to fix.

"Do you want to wait for reinforcements?" Looker asked, cautious in his words.

Dawn didn't answer. The men couldn't tell what she was thinking. They nervously looked at the swirling vortex. There wasn't a lot they could do without her corporation. Saturn was but one shambling man, and Looker had nothing but his jacket.

Presently, she sprang up to her feet.

"No." Her body stiffened, and her eyes flamed with vigour. "I'll be the one who gives Cyrus what's coming to him."

"Are you sure?"

"More than anything," she affirmed. "Saturn, do your thing. Looker, prepare to grab the orbs."

"Do you think that's enough?" Looker remained sceptical.

"Just do it," she urged. "There's no time to waste."

Without so much as a second thought, they all ran from their positions. Saturn's team of a golbat, bronzor, and toxicroak made a big fuss on the field immediately. The first wave of team Galactic member burst to contain him. Despite this, Looker's best efforts to sneak toward the alter was answered by foresight, and the flank team captured him almost on the spot. The two were brought to Cyrus for judgement.

"You're full of bad decisions, Saturn."

The Team Galactic boss stared down his unyielding subordinate. Saturn avoided eye contact at all costs, afraid of the fierce consequence awaiting him within them. Looker, on the other hand, contemplated as to why their female companion seemed to have disappeared. His darting eyes invited notice of the boss man himself, who turned to him.

"What is it that you're looking for, detective?"

"None of your business."

The wrinkles on the boss' face melted into his grin.

Before Cyrus could make threats, a very distinct honk intervened. A prison van headed straight for him. A brief closer look revealed Dawn at the wheel. He would bet on the fact that the girl didn't have the guts to commit road kill, and he would be right. Unbeknownst to him, she hadn't learnt how to drive a car enough to know how to stop one.


	44. Chapter 44

_**1**_

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Chapter 44: Batik

Cyrus believed himself to be a perfectly reasonable man, living in a perfectly unreasonable world.

"What more must I do?" He used to ask himself. His parents had him no replies. He waited until well into his twenties. No one had him a clue. He felt alone. He decided that these feelings were what made him miserable since the start, and sought out to rectify this.

Five years ago, his plan came close, but didn't succeed. He found himself trapped inside an unfamiliar world, devoid of life and companionship. The only emotions he experienced was his own. He finally was the god he wanted to be, but he wasn't happy.

Nothing but time and his own thoughts, Cyrus came to realise the paradox in his premise. He wanted to shape the world, but he himself was but a man, with his own needs and emotions. If he truly wanted change, he had to take the first step.

Weeks ago, when he stepped out of that accursed portal and back into this world, Cyrus knew himself a different man. His ridded of his shackles: pride, compassion, hope, fear, and mercy.

His life had finished flashing before his eyes, as the two-tonne metal vehicle almost reached him. He only knew one simple truth: he wasn't going to fail that day.

Dawn jumped out of the moving car just as it was about to fell off the cliff. The harsh, semi-broken concrete tiles grazed her skin like knife, and the pain almost had her in tears. She turned at the sound of the vehicle bursting into flames hundreds of metres below, to see Cyrus staggering about the edge, having barely dodged instant death. She grabbed her trainer belt, which had fallen on the ground during the commotion, and charged at the blue-haired man. His physical strength far surpassed hers, but the momentum was too much for him to hold off alone. The two of them flew from the edge of the crumbling fissure, and was absorbed into the ever-growing massive inter-dimensional vortex.

In the infinite void of the unknown, the two were alone. Vast, moving rock platforms surrounded them from all angles. These platforms did not seem to adhere to any immediate laws of physics. This was not the first time they had observed this phenomenon, as the Distortion World was much the same. This world, however, held a distinct difference. The overbearing brightness of an unknown source of light proved unfamiliar, and the colours were grey muted, in contrast to the black and purple of the realm Giaratina called home. This seemed to be but a speck of the universe when it was first created, if one were to look at it from a skewed perspective.

It took Cyrus some time to properly adjust himself, but he was advantaged still. Dawn's unimpressive physique and lack of rest had practically pinned her to the ground after a straight day's worth of exertion. She struggled to get back on her feet, and could not react to his approach. Cyrus placed his feet on her back, and began to press down. She wailed in pain, but to no avail.

"I used to underestimate you, but no more." His remarks rang perfectly calm. "Since you refuse to stop meddling, I'll put you down for good."

She could almost feel her spine giving out under the weight. In this moment of desperation, she managed to release her empoleon. Cyrus pulled away immediately, as not to get his ankle slashed in half by the metal penguin. Regained his balance, Cyrus prepared for battle, while Dawn was still busy being helped up on her feet.

His houndoom entered the field with dust under its feet, and let loose a pillar of flames. Dawn's empoleon conjured a spherical shield of water around it and its owner to protect from the intense heat. Loud sizzling noises of steam filled the air, as the shield slowly evaporated. She flew away from the assault above the wings of her togekiss, which she hoped to create more distance between them as she recollected. Cyrus was quick on pursuit, as his honchkrow carried him by the back.

Dawn threw a curse at the air. She never was able to get her full team of six before this mission, and with her rotom still trapped somewhere in Veilstone city, she only had four. She possessed an ace up her sleeve, but the composition of Cyrus' pokemons and their shared typing made it seemed a lot less intimidating. For now, all she could do was run, and she did just that.

Hot on her trail, Cyrus felt a strange sensation. The fact that he felt anything at all proved strange. He was sure such a thing was beneath him then, yet here it was. Rush, hatred, and impatience came to him, and reminded him of an older time. These were the same emotions which he experienced fighting her all those years ago. This hadn't changed. His methods became cruel, but his plan hadn't changed. Nothing had gone quite like he planned. It only made him even more enraged.

From his side, flew a purple, bat-like pokemon. Its two pairs of wings flapped sharply under the windless atmosphere, baring fangs aimed at the girl and her white, avian flyer. Dawn's empoleon turned and directed a precise beam of ice at the charging bat, forcing it to dodge and lose speed on the chase. Cyrus realised that due to the environment being virtually endless yet irrelevant, his chance of actually catching up in this situation was none. He ordered the dark blue bird to land him. Dawn noticed this change, and halted the flying to catch breath.

"Little girl." Cyrus called to her. He didn't raise his voice, but the stillness of the air carried it far. "What do you want?"

"To stop you," she replied.

"Stop me?" He raised his arm in disbelief. "Are you honestly satisfied with just that?"

"No." She glared at him. "I wouldn't be."

"Then what do you want?"

Dawn elected not to answer, though her inside voice brewed up a storm. Though the last few bursts of adrenaline had momentarily subdued her grief, this extended silence brought it back in full. She stared down Cyrus with rage in her eyes, and found his in return. She envisioned him under her feet right then, and what she could and would do.

"Are you satisfied?" His question broke her trance.

"With what?" She retorted.

"I can see it, little girl. You want revenge," he remarked. "Would that satisfy you?"

Dawn turned to silence once again. She asked herself that question. All this time, never once did she took the course of action that made logical sense. She ended up here because she got herself caught. She got caught because she was careless. She had gravely underestimated what it took, and subsequently lead her friends to danger. It had reasoned differently in her mind, but Dawn then saw it for what it was. She did all of this, with such disastrous results, because she wanted to be a hero again.

Yet she wasn't the one that paid for it.

This horrific realisation gripped at her, and she felt unable to breathe. As if under a spell, Dawn found herself unable to think straight past this point. She struggled soundlessly, in vain.

"You finally figured it out." Cyrus's voice came from a distance closer this time around. "What is the point of fighting any longer? I, for one, am tired. Aren't you?"

He approached, yet Dawn made no attempts to react. Caught in the whirlwind of her own thoughts, she considered her options. Why should she fight? She thought. Everything she had done thus far proved catastrophic, and she had already lost the very thing she came here to protect.

Cyrus was then right in front of her; his soulless eyes examined the foe. A hundred feet above ground, he reached his target. From behind him, a dark ethereal form emerged. Its ghastly arms reached forward, and enveloped them all inside a frightful mist. The intense air flowed across the Darkrai's neck like a red scarf, and snuck slowly at its victim. Dawn comprehended fully these actions, but she could not muster the strength to retaliate. If she would experience an eternity of dreams from then on, at least it wouldn't be so painful. She closed her eyes, and accepted the creeping drowsiness.

A loud, rippling sound rang through, as if something had torn through the fabric of space. The two snapped back to their surroundings, only to observe a swirling vortex situated from whence they came. A blue sawn burst from the chaos, its golden, circular wings pierced the air. Darkrai staggered at this sudden appearance, and so did its owner. Before they could react, Cresselia began its Lunar Dance. Pink windfall rose from beneath it, and dispersed the heavy mist which enclosed the girl.

This energy transferred seamlessly into her. Dawn felt her eyes opening up for the first time in a long time, and saw clearly how things were. Before her stood a sworn enemy, a fact of which grief had temporarily blinded her. She understood, for the first time, that this was her mistake, and her responsibility.

Her togekiss made some quick distance, and Cresselia flew to her side. Cyrus stared in disbelief, and his pent up rage was no longer hidden. Across the aisle, she found peace.


	45. Chapter 45

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Chapter 45: Wigan

Dawn slowly caressed her togekiss by the ear. The egg-shaped avian purred in delight. It could not recall the last time the two of them was allowed to have a moment such as this. The girl's expression softened with every pulse of feedback. Each moment was more pleasant than the last, until she felt her spirit lifted. Cresselia waved its wings above them, patiently and gladly awaited for the calming to finish.

Cyrus found himself unable to interject, despite possessing no similar sense of gentleness. In fact, it was his bubbling rage that prevented him from taking matters to a more action-oriented purpose. The scene which played before his eyes reminded him of a time when he had long forgotten, before he became a recluse, before he declared his own sense of importance. It shook him like nothing had before, but did not incur changes. His stability slowly gave way to unyielding wrath.

Dawn paid him no mind still, and continued to enjoy herself. The ghastly aura emanating from her opponent grew ever larger, only to meet her absolute nonchalantness. The situation from just minutes before was completely reversed, as Cyrus' inner chaos boiled.

"Cyrus." For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, she acknowledged his presence. "May I ask you a question?"

He didn't answer. His eyes sparked of anger, and that was all the response she needed.

"What are you fighting for?" She asked.

"Myself," he proclaimed.

"Do you feel happy, Cyrus?" She continued.

"Your tricks won't work on me." His voice hardened.

"I think I understand you, I really do." She showed no contempt in her complexion. It sold the idea that her words were genuine, and he didn't like that. "For the first time, after all these years."

"I hope you do not wish to convert me," he remarked. "Condescension doesn't work on me. I've faced much worse."

"That's not it. I'm saying that I understand your reason for fighting." She stared into his deep blue eyes. "You're the same as me, but it never made me happy. You helped me realise that."

"What do you want then?"

"I want you to understand that I understand." He didn't reply, but his expression softened. She smiled at that. "I see you do. I have no other wishes."

"Then shall we stop wasting time?" He grunted.

Dawn nodded, and readied herself. Cyrus did the same thing. It was only then did he noticed the settling of personal turmoil. No longer was he frozen in pure fury, instead found himself calmer than ever. His mind was clear, and so was his heart. Deep inside, his gratitude budded, but no one had the opportunity to see it.

The two trainers dashed at each other, carried by their fliers. Cyrus' cross-shaped purple bat took first charge of contact, bore its razor-sharp wings and aimed at the togekiss' head. The white avian took a dive, as Dawn released her steel penguin in an attempt of retaliation. Its beak opened, from which a flurry of icy columns flew forth. Cyrus' dark crow navigated through the prongs of attack without much trouble. This slowed it down a lot, however, and before he knew, a wall of water rushed at his position. His honchkrow had to back up a significant amount of distance in order to escape from the rising tides.

The moment Cyrus found himself safe above the subsiding waterfall, the atmosphere darkened around him. Gloomy clouds formed above his head, as electricity sparks flickered about him. Dawn's Azelf could be seen at the distance, exerting power into the static field. The black air shot bolts of lightning at the Team Galactic's leader, forced him into further defensive manoeuvres, unable to get a decent resting place where it would be safe for him to summon more pokemons. He knew that should he decide to land, the fight would instantly end. Such a position was too disadvantageous to recover from, despite the temporary security. He needed to make bold moves, and he needed to do it right then.

His crobat dove into a burst of speed, colliding head on with one of the bolts. The impact sent it into shock and crippled its flight, but created just enough of a distraction for the honchkrow to break free of the thunderous prison Azelf had created. The blue fairy could not reposition its attacks quick enough, and soon faced a menacing dark weasel-like pokemon, whose frozen claw offered no semblance of pleasantry. The weavile slashed its target with deadly precision, which left deep, large gouge on its victim, and rendered it unconscious.

Dawn and Cyrus both recovered their fallen pokemon. Neither willed to lose the battle in the skies, for in this complete and empty world devoid of cover and terrain, altitude is the only asset that mattered. Cyrus made the first move once again, releasing his black canine wholly suited with bone-like bands and armour. The hound's tail curled into a pointy tip with extended base, which flung wildly in the air as it awaited orders. Cyrus oriented himself, and the houndoom barked a spiral burst of flames at the girl. Her empoleon curled into a defensive position, and raised a thick layer of constantly moving tidal waves. It came into contact with the fire, and dissolved the blast into a hot pile of steam.

Darkrai burst from his previously passive position, but was met with Cresselia's instant reaction. The black pokemon put its hands together, and unleashed an array crimson black energy. This pool of darkness engulfed Dawn and her pokemons, and started to crush down with great intensity. Cresselia flew in circle within the black orb, leaving trails of petals behind it. The circle soon transformed into a vicious vortex, its massive drawing power sucking the surrounding blackness into the ether. Darkrai stared with great disdain at its rival, but unable to proceed any further. The two refused to participate in the rest of the battle, instead remained to keep watch over one another.

Cyrus sent his houndoom propelling off flight at Dawn. The girl's metal bird flashed its bulky steel wing and took the brunt of the immediate damage. Deep scratches were left on the metal, but the penguin raised hell of high water onto the now stranded fire dog. It drowned the black canine under sheer force, and disabled it entirely. This victory distracted Dawn from the fact that there were still an attacker unaccounted. A small shadow overtook her, as she turned to see the weavile with its claws raised. Her empoleon scrambled to her side and took the force of the attack. Even then, the edge of those sharp claws still managed to scratch her. Her togekiss dashed away from danger, but Dawn was still left with an unconscious pokemon and a bleeding arm.

Dawn's options were rapidly running out. Left with only two pokemons due to the unavailability of her rotom, she was forced to reach to Cresselia for help. The golden blue swan looked to her with empathy, but did not react. On the other side, Cyrus was encouraging Darkrai to go on the offensive. It obeyed, and charged without hesitation at the enemy. Its black energy swirled about the ghastly form, like a black bullet shot across the sky. Cresselia zoomed in front of Dawn, and erected a reflective screen of defence. The piercing force of the ghost pokemon was not stopped by this effort, and Cresselia had to conjure yet another barrier. This tactic continued to prove futile.

Dawn's togekiss had been trying to evade the attack all the while. Initial curves were avoidable, but the Darkrai began to gain speed with every turn. This chase went on for another few seconds, before Cyrus noticed the impending eclipse. Its strangeness was amplified by the fact that this world in which they were residing had no sun of which to speak. This drew attention to the emerging overbearing moon that seemed to have spawned out of thin air. Cyrus stared wide-eyed at the giant grey mass brought itself closer, and floating in front of it was Cresselia. Dawn observed this unnatural phenomenon, and steered into the crashing rock satellite. The Darkrai pursuit. The pressure of the moonblast made it known, but that didn't stop any of the party involved. Their speeds only increased as distance drew short. Togekiss turned around out of nowhere, and dove toward the Darkrai, the moon right behind. The ghost made no attempt to slow down, and massive collision was to be expected. At the last moment, the white avian dropped out of the sky, as it and Dawn dove downward. The Darkrai did not respond in time, and crashed into the entire weight of the meteorite. The massive explosion which followed ruptured the reality of space, and consumed itself into oblivion in a massive ball of crimson electricity.


	46. Chapter 46

_**Whoops**_

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Chapter 46: Eyelet

The explosion knocked everyone back onto the ground, and its subsequent vanish left them all guessing. Dawn struggled to recover from the fall, while her togekiss hovered weakly above her. She had yet a chance to heal from previous wounds, the adrenaline rush from before had almost complete disappeared. Cyrus's fall was from a greater distance however, and he clutched his left arm and groaned. She watched him punched the ground in frustration. Presently, their eyes met, and the sense of danger which had momentarily passed then returned.

Dawn rolled out of the way in desperation, as the weavile's extended claws drew a deep gash in the ground. The grey weasel ran on pursuit, and she had to muster what was left of her strength to dodge. Her efforts weren't always successful, as she caught the tail end of a vertical slash, and suffered a bloody tear across her right hip. Her togekiss managed to skirt by in time, onto which she grabbed. It carried her a great distance high up once more, leaving the weavile stranded on the ground. From the opposite side of the field, Cyrus went on pursuit once again.

His honchkrow went into a burst of speed, as he flew by and retracted his weavile. From this position, a well-thrown targeted pokeball could manage to propel it long enough to reach Dawn. He knew he had the numbers advantage, having held Dawn's trainer belt earlier. At the time, he felt too arrogant to truly check whatever that was left. Regardless, she had no hope of possibly both defeating him and stop the merging of the world at the same time. While they were in here, wasting time on this pointless battle, out there, Team Galactic was fulfilling its destiny. There was no resistance left, and soon Dialga and Palkia will finish what he had started.

Cyrus smiled to himself, and flung the pokeball forward with his right hand. It curved into a perfect collision, unleashing the weavile on top of the togekiss. Claws bear, it took the momentum of the throw as a propellant, aimed directly at the flying avian. The togekiss surprised by turning around with premonition. This revealed a ball of energy which it had managed to concentrate whilst on the run. Unable to stop the falling momentum, the Cyrus' weavile came under the full force of the aura sphere. The full blast quickly overwhelmed the attacker, and Cyrus quickly found himself a pokemon short.

There was no celebration to be had for Dawn, however, as she was forced to slow down her togekiss for this manoeuvre, thus allowed time for the honchkrow to catch up. Cyrus flew directly above her, and before she knew it had cut her off completely. At this position, he called forth his last pokemon.

The giant azure serpent burst from its containment. Its giant mouth and teeth caused an uproar, and erected a wall of water crashing down upon the flyer below. Dawn's togekiss had to dove closer to the ground in order to escape immediate impact. Cyrus' gyarados gave chase, its bulky and cumbersome body propelled through the air like a jet plane. The monstrous beast bore its fang, as they turned icy cold, and chomped down on its victim. No momentum to turn to, Dawn and her pokemon took the full force of the bite. The crystallised fangs froze all with which it came into contact, as she dropped to the ground, legs coated in ice. To her side, the togekiss whimpered weakly, devoid of energy.

Cyrus landed in front of the girl, as he observed her immobility. Wounds of various types impeded her bodily functions, and that was his victory. He only had two pokemons left, but this gyarados had always been his ace in the hole. Perhaps it was only this easy because she was missing a team member, he thought. Either way, it had to be done. All he had left to do now was to wait for this world to fully form and dislocate the original one, then he shall attain everything he had ever wanted.

He glanced at the girl beneath his feet. Dawn didn't appear conscious. Blood stained the right side of her shirt, and her lower half was trapped in a thin patch of ice. She had bruises all over the exposed skin, and doubtlessly many other places. His gyarados still loomed over her, its menacing pout very well present. He eased the serpent, and bent down to examine her. Before his hand touched her shoulders, they turned abruptly.

"Don't…"

Dawn gasped for air. It became clear she was only knocked temporarily out of breath, and too weak to retaliate.

"You've lost," Cyrus claimed.

"Will you leave me here to die?" She finally caught her breath. "Like you did her?"

"Cynthia?" He mused. "She was weak, and distracted. You saved her that time, regrettably, but I suppose things worked themselves out in the end."

"Are you happy, Cyrus?" Dawn asked him, out of the blue.

"I am." He smiled for the first time in thirty-five years. "I'm satisfied."

"That's good to know." She smiled as well. Cyrus was incredulous at her reaction. "Treasure this moment."

Dawn mustered what's left of her strength, and smashed at the top of the ice block on her hips. This force was enough to crack the thin layer of frost, and triggered the mechanism on her last pokeball. Rather than a flash of light, the pokeball's flap inverted. A dense cloud of blackness overwhelmed it, before swallowing it whole. The ice shattered into pieces, and Cyrus was forced to back away. Six dark, ghostly wings rose from the growing whirlpool of the abyss; red, sharp tips at the ends ripped through the atmosphere. A golden crown appeared between them, escaping from the void beneath. The gigantic black dragon sprawled from its cage, and exerted fearsome pressure from alternating gold spikes from the crimson stripes of its grey body. The bands on the side of its face parted, allowed it to unleash pandemonium. The whirlpool grew wider as it began to take over the newly created dimension. Cyrus watched in horror as Giratina extended its dreaded influence over the horizon.

He saw Dawn behind the dragon. She had passed out completely, without the strength necessary to control this monster, and it was only him. He now realised the error in his effort. He could have taken on Giratina by himself, but his battle with the girl earlier had already eliminated all of his counters. Weavil, Darkrai, and Houndoom were all out of his reach, and what he had left posed no threat. The dragon remembered him, as he could see. Thunders cracked as the sky above became drenched in florid energy. Bolts of purple electricity flew at him, as he turned on his heels and ran. His honchkrow carried him off to the distance, but his gyarados had met its unfortunate fate through a contact with this power. Cyrus tried his best to create greater distance, but in this domain, the ghost dragon was king.

He turned his head the second time, only to see nothing where he had expected. It was as if Giratina had completely vanished into the ether, leaving a giant empty space where it used to reside. Despite this, Cyrus could not shake off the feeling that he was being watched. He flew about this then greyed out universe, but could not figure an optimal exit strategy. Then, the truth flashed before him.

He found himself mere metres away from Giratina, which had just exited shadow force. At this distance, he could see nothing but the towering monstrosity that loomed over him. Its red, beady eyes, its golden, terrifying spikes, and black, ghastly wings dominated his vision. He realised now that the girl had fought smartly and patiently to eliminate his preparations for this beast, and now he had to face it alone. There was nothing to his right, nor to his left. Behind him, on the ground, the girl whimpered in pain, even in her sleep. He felt his rage boiling. Cyrus screamed, and commanded his crow to attack her.

A burning column of dark energy erupted from the mouth of the ghost dragon, and swallowed him whole.

Giratina floated aimlessly within the ether. This new Distortion World was alien to it. Alien, blank, and boring. The dragon let out a screech, with pitch so loud one could visualise the travelling of the sound. This power ripped a portal out of thin air. On the other side were familiar objects: the trees, the mountain, and the stars. The dragon let out one last roar, before flying through the portal.

Dawn remained unconscious.

Hours later, a ray of light shone through. The sun came up through the real world. The portal extended itself, as a white equine passed through. It examined the surroundings, and found naught but the girl on the ground, out cold. It swooped down, and put the girl on its back. Arceus used its own body as a conductor, and began channelling the energy of this Distortion World. Light beams emitted from its godly form, and swept through the grounds below. Everything crumbled on contact, and soon this infinite earth and its horizon dissolved back into the void. Arceus flew into the portal one last time, having finished the complete obliteration of this blasphemous realm.


	47. Chapter 47

_**Last**_

* * *

Chapter 47: Platilla

He stared at the portal.

Spear Pillar was cold and lonely at this time of day. Looker shuffled his feet as he walked about, eagerly waiting for a reaction. It had been five hours since he last seen any activity of the other world, when Giratina escaped and disbanded the Creation Trio from the mountain top. He saw no traces of Dawn, for whom he was looking.

"Detective." He turned to see a man in an IPF uniform, waiting to deliver a message.

"What is it, officer?" He asked.

"The area had been cleared of all Team Galactic equipment and personnel. We are prepared to leave."

"Please do, but I'll stay here a little longer." He turned his gaze back toward the portal. "Please leave me a car."

"Very well, detective." The officer took a bow, before excusing himself from the scene.

Looker could feel his own hair became greyer. He had been staring at the sky for so long others must have thought he had gone mad. In this moment of indecision, he would brush his badge against the stained, brown coat, just to keep himself busy. Saturn had gone with the police, and so was the rest of the opposition. The war, if one could call it that, was won. Still, he remained on edge. In the meantime, his associated had confirmed his great worry. Then, he was waiting for an even bigger one.

Presently, he could hear impossibly loud explosions bursting from the portal. Cupping his ears, he took refuge against a broken column nearby. His entire body shook with the sonic eruptions. Soon, the disturbances seized, and he observed a flash of light emerging from the other side. A titanic white equine flew from the rift, just as he witnessed the ghost dragon doing so hours before. The mysterious pokemon landed before him, its legs towering over the peak. Looker had no plans to deal with this majestic beast, but it did not appear hostile. Lowering its head, the pokemon let a small, unconscious body slide down its luscious mane. He ran to catch Dawn's falling body. Settled, he witnessed the equine took to the air, before it disappeared off to impossible heights.

The entrance and departure of such a mythical being left him in a daze. Reality snapped back into him, when he realised that the girl in his arms required medical treatment. He rushed to his car, and hastily called for air ambulance. A moment later, dispatch informed him that emergency services were being overworked, and they simply did not have the man power to rush to such a remote location. Panic began to set in when he noticed the dry blood around her abdomen, deep scratch wounds around her arm, and general weak breathing.

Looker cursed at the wind, before he strapped the girl into the passenger seat. Both feet on the gas, his rusty vehicle dashed down the bumpy mountainous road. He sweated bullets. Every so often his arm reached to check if she was still breathing, and it only worried him that much more.

…

Dawn awoke.

Her neck was stiff, and her body rigid. She darted her eyes to the bedside table, and saw the clock ticked nine in the evening. Her throat ran dry, as she only managed a disappointing murmur.

"Dawn!" A familiar voice rang from the end of the hospital room. "Are you alright?"

Dawn began to cough, and Johanna picked up on it. Receiving the cup of water from her mother, she drank it like the sweet nectar of life.

"Thanks, mom." The two embraced. "I was so scared you were hurt."

"I'm fine, dear." Johanna smiled, and let out the sigh in her chest she had held for the last four days. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Dawn let go of her mother. Her limbs lacked the strength to stay fully upright. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure myself. A detective named Looker called me yesterday morning, and told me you were here." Dawn nodded in acknowledgement. "He seemed really worried, which got me worried too. Thankfully the doctor said there was not going to be any lasting damages. You just need your rest, dear."

"Do you have his number?" She asked.

"Yes. He told me to call should anything turn up." Johanna handed over her cell phone. "Here you are, dear."

The woman waited patiently as her daughter dialled the number. A moment of silent passed, before the line was picked up on the other end.

"Detective," Dawn greeted.

"Oh Dawn, I'm glad you called." The happiness in his voice was nothing less than genuine. "Have you just woken up?"

"We need to talk, detective." Dawn's voice became stern. Looker stopped in his tracks. "About what happened."

"Very well," he replied. "I'll be there in half an hour."

Dawn terminated the call. She didn't mean to be quite so rude, but she had little patience. Johanna cupped her daughter's hands when she realised they were shaking.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"I'm not feeling that well, mom," the girl answered. "Can I be alone for a little bit?"

"Of course, dear." Her mother stood up. Her gaze was full of worries, but she excused herself eventually. Dawn, left in temporary isolation, contemplated. A lot of things happened over the course of a day or too, and she never had the chance to simply sit down and recollect them. Even then, she had little idea of what went on after she released Giratina, and where Cyrus was. There was a bigger, more painful confirmation of which she needed to learn, and just the thought of it brought her great dread. She was lost in her thoughts, until there was a knock at the door.

"May I come in?" Looker was standing outside.

"Please," she answered.

Looker entered the hospital room, donning the same attire he always had. Notably, however, his badge was not proudly bulging out of his breast pocket.

"What do you want to know?" He sat down next to her bed.

"What happened to Cyrus?" She began.

"We do not know, regrettably. The only person who had ever come out of that portal was you."

Dawn sat silently for a moment. Cyrus was left alone with Giratina by the time she was out cold. There was no way what was left of his team could have handled the ghost dragon. Either it had decided to imprison him once more, or worse. Nothing could've controlled Giratina in its rage, and she might in fact have gotten blood on her hands. This possibility scared her to no end. Even with the absolutely mind-numbing rage she experienced while fighting the man, she truly didn't mean to have done something so drastic.

"Dawn." Looker broke her train of thought. "Are you alright?"

"I have something else to ask." She diverted her own attention away from the moral dilemma. "Is what we heard on Spear Pillar true?" Her voice choked up, which forced her to take a moment to calm herself. "Is she really-"

Looker averted his gaze, and took a deep breath.

"She's gone."

A pause.

Dawn held her eyes, and dropped onto her bed. Drops of tears formed at the edge of her eyelids. Her arms shook, and her legs recoiled. She tried her best not to cry, but it didn't appear to be working. She wept for five minutes straight, before managing to regain half her composure.

"I'm ok." She clumsily wiped her eyes.

"You sure?" He asked.

"I'm sure." She affirmed. "What about other losses?"

"Losses of life are thankfully minimal. Losses of property, however, are immense." Looker took out a notepad from his pocket and shuffled through it. "The worst has to be Veilstone. It would take a decade for the city to even recover. No one can even comprehend the kind of destruction that went on there."

"What are you doing now, detective?"

"I'm helping everyone with the rebuilding efforts. It'll be a while until everyone can get a roof over their heads. Dirty work, but a nice change of pace."

"You're not a detective anymore?" Dawn pointed at his breast pocket. "I don't see your badge."

"One day I'll go back. I've had enough of conspiracies for now, though."

"So have I." She extended her hand, and the two shook it out. "Thank you, detective."

"My pleasure." He fixed his coat, then left the room.

"Mom," Dawn called out.

"Yes, dear?" Johanna peeked inside.

"Let's go home."

…

He sat, exhausted. His usually puffy blonde hair mellowed greatly over the last few days. The repair efforts in this small town had been extraordinary, and he was proud, but that didn't stop him from being constantly out of breath for the majority of the day. At ten in the evening, however, no one can disturb his well-deserved rest.

There was a knock at the door.

He groaned, and wobbled over to the entrance, dressed in nothing but a sleeveless undershirt and a pair of shorts.

"Who is it?" He lazily pried the door open.

"Hey, Barry." A familiar, dark-grey haired girl in pink stood on the other side. "Been a while."

"Dawn?" He grabbed her by the shoulders after seeing the bandages by her abdomen. "You're back. Are you alright?"

"Just stand still."

Dawn inched forward and drew him in for an embrace. It caught him off guard, but Barry slowly returned the gesture.

"You're not ok?"

"When we were kids, every time we fall we would hug each other. The pain would just go away." Dawn didn't have an immediate follow up, and they stayed like that for another minute. "It's not working."

"You'll be ok, Dawn." He drew up the best smile he could muster. "You just need time, like I did."

"I'm lost, Barry," She confessed. "I don't know what to do."

"Tomorrow, come with me to town." They finally gained some distance. "We'll help people rebuild."

Dawn nodded. She believed that she'll come to term with this reality eventually. Not having any responsibility was a strange sensation for her, but it was also liberating. She'll have to rediscover just what she wanted to do from now on, but at the moment, this was good enough.


	48. Epilogue

Epilogue

The chisel picked at the rock.

Up and down it came and went, gently and nervously tipping away the ever so delicate ore. The evicted debris fell hastily on the way side, as the mount of dirt beneath her feet began to inch up bit by bit. The flashlight flickered under the intense darkness of the cave clearing. Her gaze settled on a sharp tip of exposed artefact. It didn't make its nature immediately obvious, but the gradual prying slowly dug into its surface. Sweats dripped down her sharp features, and caught onto her modest grey locks. She wiped them away in annoyance, before returning to the meticulous process. Little by little, the ore revealed its secrets. A piece of rock on this site could be anything from crusted dirt to fossil, and she hoped it the later.

Presently, she slumped.

The object of interest turned out to be nothing more than a mere unusual combination of mineral and soil. Forty minutes of scrupulous work down the drain, she sighed deeply in frustration. The temperature climbed under the summer heat, and she realised staying inside any longer proved inadvisable. Saved from the sun as she may be, the possibility of light fainting was high, and it would take her quite a bit of way to get back to camp. She decided to leave, and turned her heels. The mid-year sun greeted her at the entrance. She shook her head at the boiling atmosphere, and climbed onto her jeep.

The dessert was lonely and aimless. She asked for the chance to explore this newly discovered dig site, and she was getting exactly what she deserved. Frustrated, Dawn checked her phone.

"Five missed calls?" She murmured to herself, and dialled back the familiar number.

"Dawn," an excited voice greeted her. "Where are you? I've been trying to get hold of you for so long."

"I was on site. What do you want?" The car sped up. There was not another soul around for miles. The only she could see was her camp on the distance.

"I have a special thing to show you," Lucas continued. "A birthday present."

"I'm 19, Luke." Despite saying so, she smiled in appreciation. "Besides, my birthday isn't until another three days."

"This can't wait. I need you to fly to Sandgem, like right now," he pleaded.

"Luke, what's going on here?" She wasn't sure whether to be hopeful of a present or cautious of a prank. Either way, she doesn't get good news that often, so she'd take it either way.

"It's a surprise, just come here."

"It's not a surprise if you told me beforehand."

"It will be once you get here, now hurry up," he finished. "Be safe."

"See ya."

Dawn arrived at the camp no more than ten minutes after. Leaving the jeep in the dust, she scrambled for her trainer belt. She had always preferred the looks and pacing of travelling by vehicle, but times like this she had little choice. Her togekiss sprouted from its ball, and lovingly nudged her at the side. Dawn smiled, and tenderly rubbed its white, avian body.

Presently, she was in the air. From Sinnoh's east coast to Sandgem would take no longer than forty minutes, but it gave her plenty of time to wonder. She thought of Lucas' excitement. Her first guess would be he had found a great breakthrough of some sort, but he said that this had to do with her birthday, so that couldn't be it. Perhaps he had invented some type of advanced scanning device, which would make her job a lot easier. She would appreciate that. The last time she saw him was when he turned nineteen himself a few months back, and wondered what he had in stored for her.

Dawn landed in front of the old Pokemon Research Lab. It held many memories, she recalled. The old wooden retro blue and brown look of old had been replaced with a much more modern and state-of-the-art white concrete and clean energy slanted roof. She knocked on the door. Almost immediately, it burst open.

"Dawn!" Lucas practically jumped in excitement. "You're here."

"Alright, Luke, what's going on?" They greeted each other with smiles, as she entered the lab. Her eyes caught a woman she had not seen before. "Who's that?"

"Pleasure to meet you." The woman graciously stepped forward, extending a feminine hand. Her dark, formal dress hugged the never-aging contour as it swayed with each stride. "My name's Penny, world traveller."

"Dawn, archaeologist." The girl shook the woman's hand cautiously. This was far from what she had previously expected. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting."

"Oh no not at all." Penny waved off the girl's worries and retreated to a seat. "Lucas will explain everything."

"Of course." The boy came up, not missing a beat. He swiped a small box at the table, and handed it to Dawn. "Open it."

She obliged. Inside sat a perfectly spherical orb, with smoothness so impressive she could scarcely believe it wasn't meld. The weight alone proved that to her.

"Isn't this…?"

"It's the Lustrous Orb." Lucas positively beamed at the opportunity. "It was sent to me on my eighteenth birthday."

"From whom?" Dawn raised an eyebrow.

Lucas took the question in great surprise. For the first moment he meant to answer, but his own judgement stopped him. Dawn, however, did not relent on her inquiry, and he was forced to respond. "Roseanne."

"Roseanne?"

As the answer sunk in, Dawn felt her blood pressure boiling with every passing second. The boy hurried placed his hands on the shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.

"Chill, Dawn. I don't know where she is. Now is not the time to get angry."

"Fine." The girl obliged begrudgingly. Exhaling, she turned to him. "Is that it?"

"That's part of what sparked the idea. I realised that an artefact of this power could be harnessed to accomplish something truly magical. However, just this wasn't enough." He made sure she wasn't going to freak, then scrambled for another box. "Enter Ms. Penny here, who was gracious enough to come to me immediately upon stumbling across this artefact during her travels."

Dawn found the counterpart to the timespace orbs, the Adamant Orb, in the other box. She looked at him incredulously.

"What do you do with these, aside from summoning Dialga and Palkia?" She asked.

"Practically anything," Lucas bellowed. He then turned to Penny, apologetic. "I'm afraid what comes next is to stay top secret, but we shall not forget your gratitude, Ms. Penny. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, it's always a pleasure to do my part." The two exchanged a grateful bow. "My companion is waiting, I'm sure she appreciates my early leaving."

"Best of luck on your trip." Dawn politely returned the gesture.

"As to you." The woman waved them goodbye, before disappearing behind the lab door.

"Lovely woman, now back to work." Lucas wasted no time in moving deeper into the facility. Its size had expanded greatly compared to the original. "Over the last two years I've been trying to build a machine capable of harnessing the untapped power of these artefacts."

"Did you do it?" Dawn, curious, followed his every step.

"I barely managed, yes." A smile of genuine satisfaction crept on his face. "Until today, however, I wasn't able to test it. Now with both of the timespace orbs, I finally can." He stopped. "Here we are."

Before them, against the smoothly tiled wall, sat a greenish machine of complex engineering. Its digital screen ran calculations of the highest magnitudes, which flew over her head. To its sides were two pedestals, connected to the engine with a giant power cable.

"That looks familiar," Dawn remarked.

"It's the basic principal which Team Galactic used to harvest the power of the Lake Trio long ago," Lucas explained. "I managed to reverse engineer their technology, and came up with this."

"It looks cool; I'll give you that." Dawn inspected the marble pedestal closely. It didn't make sense as a conductor. "What do you plan to do with it?"

"It's meant to harness the power of space and time, Dawn, it can do anything."

Lucas exposed his empty palms. Taking the cue, she handed him the orbs, which he placed on the two pedestals. Like clockwork, Lucas began to work on the main engine. His fingers moved through the keyboard like magic, leaving her guessing still. Five minutes passed before he cracked his knuckles and abandoned the post.

"Is it done?" She asked, tired.

"Yes."

He moved forward, and pressed the red button in front of the machine. The pedestals began to vibrate. Unlike what Dawn expected, power coursed from the machine to the orbs, as indicated by the movement of the indicator. The energy bank built up, and spark could be seen flying out from the orbs. Lucas took note of the situation, and urged her to take refuge on the other side of the lab to steer clear of any mishaps, which he also did himself. They watched from a twenty metre safe zones as the timespace orbs began flashing alien colours. Lightning burst from them, and reverse to the base of the machine. A strange time portal emerged from the collision, and began to grow. As it did, Lucas' engine growled as well.

"Get down!" He screamed, as the two ducked beneath a nearby table.

An explosion encapsulated the entire space. Dawn was reminded of the void energy she had experienced three years ago, as it crept to every part of the establishment. At this moment, the machine failed, causing the chaos to inertly consume itself back into the point of collapse. Smoke filled the room, and limited visibility to the point of unobservable. When energy returned to the orb, the upset balance within caused both of them to shatter. They kept their head down low, until the smoke began to clear.

There was a cough.

She turned to the boy next to her, and saw he was already staring. Goggles on, he observed the grand result of this volatile experiment. He shook her by the arm, and urged her to get up. She did as he advised. The unidentified coughing began to laugh louder. The smoke began to clear, as she stood frozen. It was not a dream, it was not a trick, it was nail tugging at her heart string sent from the cruel hands of fate. There was someone inside the smoke who wasn't there before.

"Hello?" A sultry, feminine voice called out from behind the clouds. "Where is this place?"

Dawn stood up, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Happy birthday," Lucas whispered to her.

The sound of gliding heels hitting the ground drummed up her heartbeat. She witnessed a dark silhouette emerging, coated in a black, elegant fur coat. Her visions blurred as blonde, luscious tresses came into the clear air.

"Dawn?" The female inquired; sharp, grey eyes darted up and down the vicinity. "Is that you?"

The girl couldn't manage an answer. She just ran as fast as she could forward, into the loving embrace of a familiar face she had never forgotten.


	49. Afterword

Afterword

So here we are, once again.

Eighteen months and seventy-eight thousand words later, Silverlite has finished. This, most likely, marks my last foray into the series of pokemon. This venture began roughly four years ago, and here is where it ends. Since this is time for reflections, I'd wager it wouldn't be a terrible idea to do so.

Plans changed, and so did Silverlite. Upon writing down the first words, I expected this to morph into a more free-style adventure plot, with some battle scenes here and there (sorely missed from my previous work). Instead, it turned into something completely different, as all revisionists would tell you. Dawn was supposed to travel to gather her team, fight through the Sinnoh league, reconcile her relationships along the way, then mature into her feelings. Instead, I conjured a saga of angst, conspiracies, betrayals, blood, and death. I look back now and wonder how did it all happen. Did my attempt at adding tension to the story diluted its original intentions? Did Charon's early demise foreshadowed my subconscious desire to create something far more solemn? Did the battle scenes I coughed up demanded higher stakes? Did I finally figured out, after Chokehold's conclusion, that I hated writing about love?

I wouldn't say that I'm averted to writing scenes of closeness. However, my attempt to retain the T rating (horribly miscategorised, I'd be the first to say) across the board had certainly stifled my desire to portray anything of a more intimate nature. The passages of mutual duality crafted in my mind never settled into something that would fit the setting of which I bound myself. As such, I was forced to settle into an exchange of understanding and care, and leave the rest to the readers. Most people who read slash fan fiction already knew what they wanted to see, and I'll let it work itself out.

An interesting dynamic, which I have admittedly never dealt with before, was the fact that the protagonist was a sixteen-year-old girl. Such a fine piece of detail for which I had, and hated, to watch. It's the background for this highschool-tier drama, emotional outbursts, and general irrationality, and I can't say I enjoyed working with it. A fine experience as it may be, the carelessness with which I handled the age issue left me wanting. She also cried a lot. I didn't notice it on the way forward; but upon looking back, it became quite apparent. I have never written a character with such an outward display of emotions, and perhaps never again.

My approach this time had changed drastically. I actually, at one point, tried to legitimately incorporate plot points and characters of the game. I have to credit Game Freak for the kind of intricacies they managed to maintain here. The fourth generation pokemon games were, in my sincerest opinion, unmatchable in terms of themes, conciseness, and pacing. It was such a blessing to work with a base material which didn't actively tried to hamper my efforts (I'm looking at you ActiBlizz). Every turn I found a minor character which I had forgotten about, and turned them into cogs in this cranky wheel, trudging along. Roseanne, Cheryl, Bebe, etc. are all very overlooked NPCs, but a goldmine of undiscovered personalities for me to shape however I want. I regret to say not all of them received a satisfying conclusion, but alas. This time, I didn't have to invent any personal creations, except for Penny's cameo, and that's good. It's in fact quite hopeful, if only Pokemon Platinum didn't end eight years ago and I haven't had to suffer through what Game Freak had made since then.

On a different note: I sit now in this slightly uncomfortable chair, under this wildly insufferable weather, and say that writing pokemon battles had to be one of the most challenging aspects of this experience. Techniques, movements, and appearances are all extremely visual mediums, and condensing them into words was a daunting task. It's easy to see I took a very liberal approach in portraying the battle mechanics of the game. It made sense as a mechanic, but as a narrative point it was a nightmare. To expect everyone to play by the rules was ludicrous in any context, and such the rules didn't get brought up that often. Fights here are a lot more hand-waving and intimidation than actually damage and statistics. That is, of course, until the main villain was burnt alive inside a column of infernal hellfire, but I digress.

I somewhat regret how little time the main couple got to spend together. I understood that the story was primarily about rediscovery and responsibility, and how writing PG-13 hand-holding was never something I intended to do. In the end, it felt like an unsatisfying payoff, from my point of view. They struggled through all this hardship, and we never even get to see them be properly happy. Not all stories have happy ends, but mine do, on this site at least, and thus justice needs delivering. Perhaps I'll make a special exception, just this once, and write a postscript one day.

This marks the fifth conclusion of a series which I had written. I thought doing this more often would alleviate the strange emptiness at the end, but perhaps not. The velocity which random thoughts escapes my brain and into my keyboard still hasn't been put to check, and can be seen in various dead end plot points which riddled the story. It can even be seen in this afterword right here, and I fear there will never be a point where I can be contained. This is why there are editors, I suppose.

This is where my rambling concludes. The past day has set an all-time record for my view count, and I am undoubtedly grateful. It's unclear how committed I am to doing work of this nature moving forward, but at least I'll always have this peace of mind.

Cheers,

LightRedemption


	50. Special

_**Good day**_

* * *

Special

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," said Barry, his face stuffed full of cake.

The chilling wind of an autumn end flowed past the gap of the creaking door. A tall, blonde woman wrapped beneath a thick, black leather jacket stood patiently at the doorstep.

"Good evening," she said.

"Hi, one second," he put up his index finger, before calling out, "Dawn, it's for you!"

"Tell her I need five minutes," said the hasty girl in question, out of sight.

"Come in."

Barry took a step aside. The woman bowed lightly, before closing the door behind her, stopping the cold air from invading this abode any further. As they waited for Dawn, he observed the woman. Her pale skin and long tresses were familiar, but she didn't seem nearly as intimidating as she used to on television. It was half a decade ago, he thought, and so people changed. Her expression was stern and unmoving, unaffected by the warmer, homelier atmosphere inside the house. Presently, they both turned to the rapping sound of running feet.

"Sorry for making you wait."

Dawn came into view, dressed in a bright fur coat of pink and white. Barry had not seen his friend wearing this sort of clothes for a very long time. His lax attire of only tank top and sweatpants became worryingly inappropriate. Momentarily, he noticed the woman's expression lit up, her lips curled into a content smile. Barry had no choice but to sigh.

"Quick party, huh?" he asked.

"Sorry I have to leave so early." Dawn hastily and clumsily put on her boots. "Say goodnight to Lucas and Candice for me."

"Will do," Barry said.

He watched as the girl ran as fast as she could into the blonde woman's arm, before they swiftly left. Barry hung in his own thoughts for a while, before realising that Dawn had made a brief return. Before he could comment, he found her hugging him with all her might.

"Thanks for always being here," she whispered into his chest.

"Always."

He smiled, and waved to her as she left.

The two walked beneath the starry night. The wind picked up, and they came closer together.

"Happy birthday, Dawn."

Cynthia extended her left hand, as the girl grabbed it with care.

"I'm glad you made it."

"Grandmother was very against me going, until I had to explain to her what it was for." Cynthia pulled out a bowtie-wrapped gift, and handed it to the girl. "This is her birthday present."

"What is it?" Dawn eagerly received the small box.

"It's a book she wrote about pokemon fossil and evolution, planned to publish in half a year." Cynthia led them toward the nearby lake. "It's an unedited version. Even I wasn't allowed to read it."

"This is great." The girl brought it to her chest, before stashing it away. "But why aren't you allowed to read it."

"She said that's my punishment for having disappeared for three years." A sigh. "I guess no one had the heart to tell her I was dead."

The mood became sullen. Cynthia found this often to be the case, as she tended to not truly consider the impact of her words. This attitude worked well enough for her career, but her personal life struggled because of it. The silence continued until they reached a stone bench amongst the display of flowerbeds. The two sat down, and enjoyed the moonlight for a moment.

"I'm still getting used to this," Dawn confessed, awkwardly smiling. "It took me such a long time to make peace with the fact that you were gone, and yet…"

Cynthia moved and wrapped her arms around the quaking girl, who wept into her embrace. The melancholy scene carried on, for she had little to say for herself.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault, but I can't help but be angry, at you, at myself, at everyone," Dawn continued. "I even considered unspeakable things, just so that I don't have to deal with it."

"But you made it." Words were all whispers. "I'm proud of you."

A moment of solace.

"I remember a conversation, all those years before. It was the last time we talked." Dawn remembered it clearly. To the blonde woman, it was but a few days. "You said you wanted me to grow up, for me to make better decisions."

"I know you did." Cynthia drew away slowly, but found herself caught by an unrelenting grip.

"There wasn't a single day the since then that I didn't think about you," Dawn implored.

"Dawn…"

"I know you feel guilty, but I'm telling you this." She clasped the woman's hands, refusing to let go. "It's been seven years, three of which was without you. I never want to live like that again."

"What about your mother?"

"She'll understand." She didn't believe it, but it was the best hope she had. "I'm grown now. I'm not her little girl anymore."

The woman hesitated.

"Cynthia." Dawn pushed forward, their faces mere inches from each other. "I know you love me. Please let me love you too."

Cynthia sat still, silenced by her inner turmoil. The two were so close they were practically breathing each other in. It forced her to look up, at the girl she had found herself inexplicably attracted to for the better half of a decade. She could see the girl's growth. Those fingers, no longer short and clumsy, carried their slenderness all the way up her arm. Every touch caused a ripple of heat coursing across her skin. The warmth of the girl's body pressed upon hers, pushing on top of her. The cold bench prodded like a slab of concrete compared to the soft, supple sensation overloading her perception.

"Ok," she spoke under her breath.

She saw the girl's eyes tear up, and collapsed onto her chest.

"I was so scared that you'd say no." Dawn choked up. "I didn't know if I could take it."

"I'm sorry for making you wait all this time."

The two broke into a soft laugh, as they let themselves calm down. Presently, Dawn moved forward, eyes fixed on the woman beneath her.

"Can I kiss you?"

The girl never received an answer. Cynthia's hands reached for her cheeks, before drawing them in. The moment their lips touch was one of blazing ether. It throbbed and soared incomprehensible, crushing all past reservations. The burning anxiety of first contact melted as they brushed with delicate reassurance, hurried and torturously yearning, as the affirmation of a love once forbidden. Their eyes closed, signalling the melding of bodies, and the mending of old wounds. The rapture set to remove the past and future, leaving nothing but the complete erasure of distance between the hearts.


End file.
